IT might have caused lesser men to throw in the towel, but Gareth Southgate claims Middlesbrough’s ongoing relegation fight has strengthened his determination to succeed as a manager.

When the former Boro skipper stepped in to Steve Mc- Claren’s shoes in 2006, he admits he harboured doubts about whether management was really for him.

Those doubts have been expressed elsewhere this season, as Boro embarked on a run of one win in 19 matches that saw them plunge into the heart of the Premier League relegation zone.

But despite everything that has been thrown at him since the turn of the year, Southgate insists his own mind has become considerably clearer.

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, he knows his future will be in football management.

“When I started off, I wanted to have a go at it,” said Southgate. “But was it what I wanted to do long term?

“I suppose it’s only when people question your abilities and whether you are capable of doing something that it puts a lot of things into perspective and clears a lot of things in your mind.

“Having lived through the last few weeks, I’m only more determined. I know what I want to go and do, and I know where I want to take this club. It’s been a difficult period, but you’re certainly more determined when you’ve been through a period like we’ve had.

“If you can come through a difficult period like that and feel that way then, in my own mind, it has answered a few of the questions I might have had a couple of years ago.”

While management is relatively new to Southgate, relegation is not. The 38-year-old was skipper of the Crystal Palace side relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the 1994-95 season, despite Oldham Athletic having been eight points from safety with just three games left.

Back then, things went right to the wire, and while Southgate’s role has changed, the emotions involved in a relegation battle have not.

“It’s different because, as a manager, you’re ultimately responsible for everything,” said Southgate. “But it’s not a great deal different because I was a player who took everything very much to heart anyway.

“I was captain of all the teams I played in. I wouldn’t say I took it any lighter as a player but, certainly, there’s more to think about.”

Southgate has discussed his Selhurst Park experiences with his players, and just as Palace displayed battling qualities to win promotion to the Premier League, so the Boro boss has urged his own squad to become “street fighters” in the final six games.

The Teessiders prospered in a winner-takes-all environment against Hull last Saturday, and with a follow-up victory tomorrow vital if they are to avoid the drop, Southgate has called on his players to summon all the resolve they can muster.

“In the position we’re in now, it’s muck and bullets,” he said. “That’s what it was like for me at Crystal Palace, and I think approaching things in that way was a major part of our success.

“We were street fighters, and that’s what we as a club have to be now. We have to adapt to the situation we’re in, and that means getting points whatever it takes.”

Southgate has no new injury worries, but Didier Digard is unlikely to feature despite stepping up his training schedule this week.

■ Middlesbrough’s home game with Manchester United will take place on Saturday, May 2 (ko 12.45pm). The date of the game, which will be televised live on Sky Sports, was dependent on United reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League.