CHRIS Riggott has slammed suggestions that Middlesbrough's defenders need to push the panic button, but the centre-half has admitted that a top-six place could be jeopardised by their slackness at the back.

After being showered with praise because of their early-season solidity, Boro have kept just two clean sheets since the turn of the year.

Sunday's 2-2 draw with Charlton saw Steve McClaren's side ship two uncharacteristically sloppy goals, which resulted in two more points going begging in the push for a European spot.

Riggott accepts that a succession of injury problems have unsettled a backline that was regularly lauded as one of the top-flight's tightest last term.

But, with Ugo Ehiogu the only experienced member of the back four still sidelined, the former Derby centre-half is confident the Teessiders can restore their defensive reputation in the final two months of the campaign.

"It's not panic stations," said Riggott, who will continue alongside Gareth Southgate when Boro visit Villa Park tomorrow. "But we're determined to improve defensively. It's not just about the back four - it's the team as a whole.

"We can definitely tighten up but, at the same time, we need to be going out there trying to win games.

"We're playing well in patches, but we're not performing consistently. We're shipping more goals than we would like to, and that puts pressure on the lads up front to get us back into the game.

"It's not a million miles away though. We're working on things and hopefully they'll pay off."

Riggott was a near ever-present as Boro started the season in style, but a hamstring injury meant the 24-year-old missed 12 out of 14 games in December and January.

His absence coincided with the likes of Gaizka Mendieta, Mark Viduka and George Boateng also suffering long-term problems which have hindered Boro's progress this term.

McClaren has been keen to avoid using injuries as an excuse for the club's recent inconsistencies but, while Riggott accepts they are part and parcel of the game, he has bemoaned just how many problems the Teessiders have had to deal with.

"It's been frustrating for everyone," he said. "I know, first hand, how hard it can be to be stuck on the sidelines for so long.

"I missed almost eight weeks and I haven't been the only one - a lot of the lads have had injuries this season.

"But I would think most Premier League teams could complain about the injuries they've had. We can't dwell on that."

Boateng is hoping to return for the second leg of Boro's UEFA Cup clash with Sporting Lisbon but, after returning to England to continue his treatment, Mendieta has reluctantly accepted that he is unlikely to play again this season.

The Spain international suffered a cruciate injury against Portsmouth in October and, while he was fit enough to do some light running at the club's Hurworth training ground yesterday, he is still months away from a first-team return.

"I would like to play this season," said Mendieta. "But it's too early to say. It will be six months in May and that is how long the doctors said it would take.

"I want to play, but there is no point trying to play again until the knee is perfect. There is a long way to go to be fit again, but the doctors and the physios say that it is going well and I have to keep working hard."

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