HAVING had to deal with jeers of dissatisfaction reminiscent of Bryan Robson’s final home match in charge at the Riverside Stadium, Gareth Southgate has reaffirmed his commitment to leading Middlesbrough through hard times.

Hull and Newcastle United’s failure to win on Saturday meant that Middlesbrough’s 1- 1 draw with Aston Villa has at least taken their fight to stay in the Premier League into the final Sunday.

Boro require a five-goal swing in their favour, plus defeats for both Newcastle and Hull, if they are to extend their 11-season stay in the top-flight for another year.

And Southgate is trying to remain hopeful that the freak turn of events will occur, meaning financially Middlesbrough will be in a stronger position.

But, having already had three years of making stringent budget cuts after his predecessors’ over spending, the Boro boss feels dropping into the Championship would mean even further changes to the way the club operates.

Stewart Downing, Tuncay Sanli and Gary O’Neil are the three most likely to depart, although there would also be numerous other changes – not just to the squad – even though chairman Steve Gibson has tried to prepare for all eventualities.

“At the moment my only focus in this next week will be can we get a win at West Ham and see what else happens,”

said Southgate. “We know that whatever happens, certain players will leave; we know that this football club will still exist and many of the decisions that we’ve taken this year have been to keep this club alive.

“We find ourselves in a situation that none of us are enjoying, it’s been a long six months, there’s no question about that.

From when we won at Villa in November it’s been a very tough period for everybody. But you learn a lot about yourself and you learn a lot about other people.

“To stay in this division you’ve got to take huge financial risks and banks are going to start calling those risks in so we have to cut our cloth. We’re not as big a town as some other clubs in the top two divisions but this club – thanks to the chairman – has punched well above its weight for a long period of time.

The strength of the club is not just because of which league it’s in, but we all desperately want it to stay in this division.”

On the m o r n - ing before the game Gibson revealed: “If we go down, we will all be tremendously disappointed but there will still be football at the Riverside next season – just might be at a different level.”

The chairman disappeared quickly after Saturday’s draw on other business duty and Southgate, who has two years remaining on his five-year contract, continues to insist that whatever happens at the end of the season he will not resign.

Large sections of the 26,000 home supporters greeted Southgate’s appearance on the pitch at the end of Saturday’s final home match with a prolonged chorus of boos - but that will not alter the club’s former captain’s thinking.

“I believe that amid the emotion of things it’s easy to make quick decisions that are wrong,” he said. “I expected an adverse reaction if we didn’t get a result, I expected it to come towards me – I’m the manager, I have to take responsibility, and I’m glad it came to me and not the players because I can handle it.

“At the moment my focus is: can we keep the club in the league? We have to deal with whatever happens next Sunday.

We can deal with whatever happens.

“As much as anything, what gets hurt are peoples’ egos and my ego isn’t too big to roll my sleeves up and fight in the division below if I have to do that.

But at the moment we still have the faintest hope of staying in this league and while we have it we have to hang on to it.”

The Riverside will host a charity match tonight in aid of Teesside Hospice.

Former Boro stars Gaizka Mendieta and Craig Hignett will be player/ managers of the two teams, which will be made up of around 30 supporters who have bid up to £800 each to take part.

At least £12,000 will be raised for the Hospice, although the public are also invited to go along to the Riverside.

Kick-off is at 6pm, with former World Cup referee G e o r g e C o u r t n e y officiating, and anyone wishing to watch can enter the Riverside from 5pm onwards provided they make a minimum donation of £2 to the charity.

Wells Integrated Cabling Systems have sponsored the match by handing over £1,800, while the two teams tonight will be sponsored by Knights Club and Afforda Skip, with the kits supplied by MSV Sport.