Middlesbrough midfielder Adam Clayton has insisted that his side will not give up hope of Premier League survival until it is mathematically out of their reach.
The Teesside outfit find themselves six points from safety with just six games of the season remaining having extended their winless run to 15 matches with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Monday night.
However, Clayton does not believe that Boro are one of the three worst teams in the division and is confident that one positive result will provide the springboard they need to retain their Premier League status.
"If you asked the other teams 'Are Middlesbrough one of the three worst teams in the league?', I don't suppose many would say we are. We've played against teams and we have been in most games and have been pipped by that extra bit of quality that we need to have," he told reporters.
"There are more points to play for and nobody in the bottom three is pulling up trees and running clear. Three points in this league is like six in the Championship. You have to keep believing. You have to keep going and it is hard to keep coming out when we have been pipped. We have to keep believing and keep the chin up. This is the toughest league there is, but we will keep grafting.
"The gap hasn't been getting any bigger, but now we are getting to the stage where we need to win. If we don't, it will be goodnight. We need to get a win as soon as possible and change the face of it. We have to come out on the right side in the next few games. One win will change it all.
"There were a few chances that could have gone in [against Arsenal]. But we will not go down because we have been unlucky, we will go down because we haven't been good enough - if we do. That's the story.
"We have to make our own luck."
Boro's task is likely to be made even tougher by their difficult run-in, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool providing three of their final four opponents this season.
Barney Corkhill
