GARETH Southgate has attacked the current fashion for players to engage in a lap of honour after the final home game of the season.

The sight of a team making a triumphant parade around the pitch was traditionally reserved for cup final victors or league champions.

As Middlesbrough battle to avoid the walk of shame into the Championship, Southgate believes is would be inappropriate for his players to end their dismal home campaign by taking the applause of the Riverside crowd.

Even if Boro secure victory over Aston Villa this afternoon to keep alive their slim chance of escaping relegation, Southgate revealed he doesn’t have the stomach for the now-traditional ‘lap of honour’.

“It’s not something I think is appropriate,” said the manager who is aiming to secure Boro’s first double of the season against his former club this afternoon.

“My feeling is if we can win the game, fantastic, and the fight goes on. I view it as a lap of honour.

It wasn’t something that was done years ago was it? It’s a modern thing. It’s great if the season has gone well. It is, however, very important to always acknowledge your fans.

“Even last year, when we’d won 8-1 (against Manchester City on the final day), I wasn’t fussed about doing it. I didn’t think it was right last year so it can’t be right this year.”

Irrespective of Boro’s fate, Southgate is scheduled to sit down with chairman Steve Gibson at the end of the campaign to discuss a plan of action for next season.

Southgate’s view on laps of honour are expected to be shared by the majority of the Riverside faithful who are in no mood to party following defeat in the Tyne-Tees derby. Supporters have witnessed only five home league victories this season an the Teessiders look set to end their 11-year tenure in the top division.

Failure to defeat Martin O’Neill’s side, who are limping to the end of the campaign, would make any talk of a lap of honour academic.

Boro need two of their relegation rivals – Hull, Newcastle and Sunderland – to avoid victory this weekend to take their survival challenge into the final weekend.

To inspire his players, Southgate has revealed personal memories from 1993, when a remarkable succession of results saw his Crystal Palace side relinquish a seemingly unassailable position to Joe Royle’s Oldham Athletic.

“We played Ipswich on the Saturday and went eight points clear of Oldham with three games to go,” he recalled. “They then played at Villa, who were going for the title on the Sunday, and beat them, so the gap was down to five points. We both had two games to go. We went to Manchester City in midweek and got a draw so we were six points ahead of Oldham, although they had a better goal difference.

“Then Oldham beat Liverpool at home and Southampton at home on the last day. On that day we went to Highbury and lost. We were down. It was an incredible chain of events that kept them up.”

Southgate’s vivid recollection of that campaign provided a reminder that relegation lingers long in players’ memories.

“I remember it so well,’’ he recalled.

“You feel you’ve let people down. It’s a blow to your ego and professional pride.

“You also learn there is life after it; we were promoted as champions the following year.”

Southgate will make a final check on the centre-back David Wheater’s fitness before naming his squad.

Didier Digard and Afonso Alves will, however, both be watching from the sidelines. The Brazilian striker has a broken foot, while Digard suffered a setback in training this week and will not be risked.