A DEJECTED Jonathan Woodgate has urged his players to react positively by keeping Middlesbrough in the Championship after criticism he feels has to be taken “on the chin”.

Barnsley piled on the misery by hitting a 73rd minute winner through Conor Chaplin that has extended Boro’s winless run to ten matches, eight in the league.

Middlesbrough have collected just a point from three consecutive games against teams in the relegation zone, and back-to-back defeats to Luton and the Tykes have left them just three points above the drop zone.

Almost 4,000 travelling fans were at Oakwell and a proportion of those barracked players at the final whistle, including when striker Rudy Gestede appeared to have an angry exchange with a section of the fans.

Middlesbrough head coach Jonathan Woodgate said: “Absolutely fantastic support and I don’t blame them for being angry and going crazy. I expect that if we don’t win games like this.

“I didn’t see that. Listen, we are going to get hard times, we are going to get that and the fans are just as frustrated as we are.

“Appreciate all the support they give the team and they are going to express their opinions to us and we are going to have to take it on the chin.”

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Woodgate opted for experience in the hope of sparking a turnaround in fortunes, naming youngsters Hayden Coulson and Marcus Tavernier on the bench. He didn’t include Djed Spence even among the substitutes.

Woodgate said: “These are young lads and in a relegation battle, sometimes you need people who have been there and done it and really fought.

“I have been playing young players and we are three points off the relegation zone.

“Jed’s been doing OK but he needs to do more.”

But Woodgate, whose side face automatic promotion contenders Leeds and Nottingham Forest at the Riverside in the next two games, still firmly believes his side can get out of trouble.

He said: “I start now. It starts now. It’s a fight, 12 games to go and need to start winning games sharpish.

“You do need characters. Sometimes playing younger players is not always the right thing to do, sometimes you need to protect them at times.

“I wouldn’t say service was great, last two games we have not been creating many chances. That’s the frustrating thing.

“Barnsley played well, we weren’t great at times, didn’t create any opportunities and lacked that belief to create chances. I needed my players to get on the ball.

“We had a big following and we didn’t give them anything and we should have done. They beat Fulham 3-0 and played well in that game. But we should be doing better.

“We want to get more points than we have been doing recently. Went through that spell where we played really well, got ourselves ten points clear and now we are three off it so we need to start winning quick.

“I’ve got experienced players in that dressing room and am sure we will turn it around, got no doubt about that. People might think I’m crazy thinking that after the defeat against Barnsley and Luton, but I actually believe that.

“We’ve been in the relegation places before and we put a run together of four wins on the spin and that’s what I’m hoping and believing we can do again.

Chaplin’s winner with 17 minutes remaining arrived when the visiting defence were slow to react to a delivery into the area. Jacob Brown’s nod down was controlled and then struck against the bar by Chaplin, who then had time to fire in the rebound.

It meant Woodgate’s side have not kept a clean sheet during their winless run and they have not recorded a meaningful shot on target in their last two games.

And Barnsley, who looked better in possession throughout, managed to increase the pressure on the Teessiders having kept a first clean sheet at Oakwell in 17 matches.

BARNSLEY (4-2-3-1): Collins; Ludewig, Sollbauer, Halme, J Williams; Bahre (Ritzmaier 87), Mowatt; Brown, Woodrow, Oduor; Chaplin (Thomas 81). Subs (not used): Walton, B Williams, Dougall, Schmidt, Simoes, Marsh.

MIDDLESBROUGH (3-4-1-2): Pears; Shotton, Moukoudi, Friend; Howson, Wing, Saville (McNair 79), Johnson; Morrison (Coulson 79); Assombalonga (Gestede 72), Fletcher. Subs (not used): Mejias (gk), Clayton, Tavernier, Nmecha.