Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate reckons his players could not have given him any more during his first season in charge.The 36-year-old was thrown in at the deep end last summer when chairman Steve Gibson appointed him as Steve McClaren's successor at the Riverside Stadium.

There were questions over Gibson's decision when, three games into the season, Boro had squandered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 at promoted Reading on opening day, and then after beating champions Chelsea 2-1, they were trounced 4-0 at the Riverside by Portsmouth.

However, Southgate kept his nerve despite losing newcomer Julio Arca to a broken foot at the Madejski Stadium and seeing £6million signing Robert Huth struggle with injuries all season to leave a squad, already missing well weathered campaigners Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Ray Parlour and Doriva, even shorter on experience.

A final day 3-1 win over Fulham dragged the Teessiders into 12th in the Premiership, two places and a point better than they had managed a year earlier.

Southgate said: "It was pleasing in terms of where we were in September when we lost 4-0 at home to Portsmouth.

"We knew we were in for a very tough year. Of the new signings we brought in, we lost Julio on the first day of the season, and we did not have Robert Huth through much of it.

"Having lost so many experienced players, we only had Jason Euell and Jonathan Woodgate who came into the side, and we had to use some of the young players in the squad a bit more than we would have liked.

"But they will be better for the experience and they have appreciated it.

"We got close to the maximum from the players we had available, which is very pleasing."

More Football News from TEAMtalk