Manager Aitor Karanka has admitted that Middlesbrough's 1-0 victory against Charlton Athletic in the Championship was not a classic, but is delighted to have picked up the three points.

The victory, courtesy of a Emmanuel Ledesma first-half strike, lifts Boro up to ninth place and just five points off a playoff position.

"It was another three points and another clean sheet so I must be satisfied - but it was not a good game," he told the club's official website. "We did not play as well as we can or as well as we should so I was not happy at that.

"It was a game that we may have lost in the past and it is another win so that is a good thing. And it is a big lesson for us.

"It has showed how difficult it is to win games in the Championship, how hard you must work to get in front and how hard it is to stay there."

Boro return to action next weekend when they face league leaders Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

Written by
Daniel Lewis