Boro Players To Recharge!

Last updated : 04 May 2009 By Boro Mad

The players will return to work on Tuesday ahead of the following Monday's short trip to St James' Park.

Gareth Southgate: "I don't think they will need lifting. They were very flat after the game, but they had had a chasing for 60 minutes.

"That's why I have said to them I don't want to see them for a couple of days.

"They have grafted and grafted and grafted. We have asked a tremendous amount of a young group of players and, throughout this season, they have not stopped giving everything they've got.

"Now we have to hope we can produce some quality in the last three matches alongside that hard work and the spirit we continue to show.

"It won't be for the lack of effort, but we have obviously got to have the class as well to take the chances that come our way.

"Because of the importance to both clubs, it is obviously going to be built up to something way more important in the realities of life than it is.

"But it's a game of football that we have to try to go and win.

"We won't be favourites going into it - we have not managed to get a point on our travels from the last 10 games, and we have got to reverse that trend.

"We can't possibly compete with the likes of Manchester United on a regular basis, but you have to hope you can perform well enough on a given day to get a result against them, as has happened in the past.

"But the fact is, they were desperate for the win as much as we were. They had every motivation to get the win themselves.

"It wasn't a game where there was ever going to be a loss of focus from their point of view."