STEWART Downing has admitted that his Middlesbrough team-mates cannot afford to assume that their Premiership status is assured, and the winger has claimed that an improvement on last season's 14th-placed finish is the minimum requirement.

Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa has left the Teessiders just seven points clear of the drop zone, a margin that, while comforting, is hardly a guarantee of top-flight survival.

That gap could well have narrowed further by this time next week, with Boro travelling to Anfield to face Liverpool on Wednesday before taking on Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Subsequent home games against Tottenham and Fulham should enable Gareth Southgate's side to pull clear of the bottom three but after under-performing in the Premiership for the second season in a row, Downing has challenged his team-mates to achieve a finishing position that could at least be construed as progress.

"From the outside looking in, it probably looks as if we want the season to end," he said. "But we certainly don't feel that way in the dressing room because we haven't got 40 points. There's no chance of us letting things drift.

"Europe's out of the question, and the top half is looking tough. But if we achieve nothing else this season, we at least have to finish higher than last season's 14th.

"We keep saying we're going to do this and that, though, and talk is cheap. It's all talk at the minute - we need to go out and perform instead.

"There are two big games coming up at Liverpool and Manchester United. There's no point in sulking, we have to go there and put up a fight."

Boro's players were booed from the field following Saturday's limp second-half display and, while Downing admits it was always going to be difficult for the Teessiders to hit the ground running during Southgate's maiden managerial campaign, he insists the club's players were every bit as hurt by the weekend's dismal home defeat.

"It was always going to be a hard transitional season, but I can understand the fans being frustrated," he said.

"We saw a new side to Gareth when he was very angry after the defeat at West Ham, but he didn't need to say anything to us after this game.

"The lads were disappointed in themselves and we all had a few words with each other and said that it wasn't good enough. It was poor and that's not us - especially at home.

"I've said it before that with the players we have, we should be nowhere near where we are."