Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate has conceded that the club's fans had every right to let their frustrations known during their 1-0 defeat at Barnsley on Saturday afternoon.

Conor Chaplin's 73rd-minute goal was enough to lift secure three points that lift Barnsley off the bottom of the Championship table, and make it eight league games without a win for 'Boro, who are now just two places and three points clear of the relegation zone.

With Woodgate's side again struggling to make an impact against a side languishing in the division's bottom three, having lost at home to Luton last weekend, there were chants of 'You're not fit to wear the shirt' from the away end, something Woodgate could fully understand.

Speaking about those fan frustrations after the game, the 'Boro boss was quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post as saying: "It was absolutely fantastic support and I don't blame that for being angry and going crazy. I expect that if we don't win games like this.

"We are going to get hard times as the fans are just as frustrated as we are.

"I appreciate all the support that they give the team and they are going to express their opinions to us and we must take it on the chin."

But despite there recent struggles, it seems Woodgate is still confident that things can improve for his side, as he continued: "I have players in that dressing room who I am sure will turn it around. I have no doubt about that.

"You may think I am crazy thinking that after defeats against Barnsley and Luton. But I truly believe that. We will turn it around."

Next up for 'Boro is the visit of second-place Leeds United to the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night, before another promotion hopeful - Nottingham Forest - make the trip to the North East a week on Monday.

The Verdict

You can certainly understand the frustrations of those Middlesbrough fans here.

Woodgate's men have missed a number of opportunities to pull away from the relegation zone in recent weeks, having taken just one point from three games against the teams currently in the bottom three.

Not only does that mean they have missed a number of opportunities, but also that they will soon run out of big chances to pick the wins they need to pull away from the bottom three, and that will inevitably be a concern for those of a 'Boro persuasion.

It feels therefore as though the pressure is right on Middlesbrough at the minute, so it will be interesting to see how they cope in those next two games against Leeds and Forest, when the weight of expectation is unlikely to be on them quite so much.