HAVING been subjected to stinging criticism from supporters on the back of successive home defeats in the Championship, a defiant Gareth Southgate has urged his Middlesbrough players to repeat their away-day heroics at the Riverside Stadium later today.

Boro entertain Watford this afternoon having won just two of their opening five matches on Teesside since dropping into the Football League. It is a record that stems from three frustrating seasons in the Premier League, with Southgate’s men rarely showing the belief required to turn in impressive displays in front of their own fans – highlighted by just two wins in their final five months in the top-flight.

But it was the recent defeats to West Brom and Leicester that infuriated many of the club’s supporters, with some increasing their calls for Southgate to step aside after three years in charge.

Southgate, however, feels the knee-jerk reactions to the defeats did not paint a true picture of their recent run of form, culminating in a win at Reading which lifted Middlesbrough into third place.

“Some people chose to give us a hard time but in the six games before the break we took ten points and the best any team managed over that period was 11 points. So we are doing better than most,”

said Southgate.

“The fact that we suffered two defeats at home, one of them a heavy one, maybe had a bigger impact but in points terms it was pretty pleasing.

“We now have five games until the next break and we want to make inroads into the top two.

“We want to give our supporters leaving the Riverside the same feeling our away fans have been getting.

“If we can get it right at home we are going to have a very good season.

“We must maintain good away form of course. We won’t beat terms just because we are playing at home.

“We have to deal with teams coming here to frustrate us.

We can’t force games and must stay focused.”

Watford arrive in the North- East on the back of their own home woe, having lost 4-0 to Cardiff after a 3-2 defeat to Coventry.

“They are also without a win since returning from Plymouth with a 1-0 victory on September 15.

“They had a heavy defeat in their last game and will have been stung by that and wanting to prove a point,” said Southgate, aware of the threat posed by former Boro Academy striker Danny Graham.

“I expect them to enjoy coming here, it’s a great stadium and we will have to be very good.

“They are only six points behind us but in the bottom half of the table.

“The difference between squads is very tight in this league.

“It makes the Championship the most competitive and also the most enjoyable of all four divisions.”

If Graham is going to add to the six goals he has scored for the Hornets since joining Watford in July, the Gatesheadborn striker will have to overcome the attentions of David Wheater.

Despite turning 22 in February, Wheater has been named Southgate’s captain so far this season and he will today make his 100th appearance for the club he has supported since childhood.

“David embodies the area.

He is a centre half who can be commanding in this division,”

said Southgate. “There is a lot of room for improvement. He is a pleasure to work with, he wants to get better.

“For a centre half at his age to have 100 games for us is very impressive. If you look at the top players in that position they get better with age and he just has to go through that process.

“England seem to be pretty settled in that position but I believe that David’s chance will come if he keeps progressing and learning.

“He can concentrate on league football, which is good for us.

“I still haven’t decided if I will let him keep the captaincy when Emanuel Pogatetz comes back into the side.”

Pogatetz remains on the sidelines as he continues his rehabiliation from knee trouble, while Didier Digard will not start despite edging nearer to full fitness after a few weeks on the bench.