Clayton: Boro win has given us belief again

Adam Clayton admitted Middlesbrough owed a win to the fans after downing Sunderland on Wednesday night for their first league victory of 2017.

Boro remain second bottom of the Premier League table and have a real battle on their hands to avoid relegation.

But after ending their unbeaten run that stretched back to December 17, thanks to Clayton’s fine assist for Marten de Roon’s winner, Steve Agnew’s side are approaching their survival mission with renewed optimism.

“We finally got our win,” he said.

“We owed it to the fans and the gaffer especially this week. It wasn’t the best performance but we grinded and did what we needed to do.

“Our fans have been top quality all season – they were on fire from the off and it helped us to start well and got the goal.

“I was at fault for one of the goals on Saturday, so I’m really pleased to play a part.

(Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

“A win gives you that motivation and belief again. Everyone perks up, it’s a different feeling in the dressing room now.

“We take that into some tough games – we’ve done it before against these kinds of sides and we can do it again.”