AS the pressure increases on Jonathan Woodgate at Middlesbrough, one of his most experienced players has urged everyone in the squad to back their words up with the goals to keep Championship football at the Riverside Stadium.

Woodgate is set for a pivotal game on Teesside tonight, when promotion chasers Nottingham Forest head to the North-East looking to take another step towards the Premier League – and in turn knock Boro closer to the drop.

Wigan Athletic’s surprise win at leaders West Bromwich Albion on Saturday pushed Middlesbrough down into the drop zone for the first time since October and heightened supporters’ concerns of League One football next season.

Confidence among supporters has been draining away during a run of nine league matches without a win, with social media rife of criticism of the head coach and the club’s recruitment policy in recent years.

And Woodgate knows how important a win is against Nottingham Forest after a horrible run of defeats against Luton Town, Barnsley and Leeds United ahead of Forest’s visit to the area tonight.

For Middlesbrough to stand a chance of ending the wait for a win they need to come up with a way to score for the first time in four-and-a-half hours, a run contributing to a record of being the lowest scorers in the Championship.

Jonny Howson, the Middlesbrough midfielder now playing in defence, knows how desperate the side are for the goals to keep them up, with ten matches remaining after facing Nottingham Forest.

“I believe there is the firepower in the squad to get us out of trouble,” said Howson. “We have done it before, OK it has been a small amount but we have.

“We have got lads who can score goals. It isn’t just about the forwards, the whole team has to chip in. We have to provide for them as well. I wouldn’t say it is concern, I am very confident in the lads in that changing room.

“The bottom line is I can stand here and say this, that or the other, the bottom line is we have to go out on a Saturday or Monday or whatever day and actually do it.”

One of the biggest concerns among Middlesbrough fans is that the excellent form in December, which earned Woodgate his first manager of the month award, now appears to be the purple patch in an another wise largely depressing season.

Before that Middlesbrough had a ten match winless run and now they are in the thick of a similar 11 game stretch if the two matches against Tottenham in the FA Cup are included.

“You can’t say we did this or that to get out of the run the last time, sometimes over Christmas when games come thick and fast it can just happen,” said Howson.  “We got on a roll, we need that first one on the door again and we need to go from there. Let’s get that first one out of the way and all we can affect for now is Forest – why not that game.”

Middlesbrough delivered an improved display against Leeds last Wednesday after a three-match run against the teams in the relegation zone that raised concerns. The cynic would suggest it is easier to raise a game against a top team, and the reality is that they still lost.

The current plight, with Middlesbrough now two points behind fourth from bottom Stoke City, is a far cry from the turn of the year when a win at Preston on New Year’s Day actually raised hope of a top ten finish after finding new energy and vibrancy in the youthful team’s play.

Howson said: “I firmly believe, and I am not one for excuses, I try to be as honest as I can, it’s fine lines sometimes.  There are times in those games in December when we might have got that bit of luck, or the other teams didn’t take their chance and we did. That’s the fine line. I don’t think there are too many games where we have taken a hammering, although there has been a few.”

With 11 matches remaining Woodgate looks set to mix up experience within the ranks with some of the younger talents, like he did against Leeds.  “Of course experience is required,” said Howson. “I have been in this position before and Robbie Keane mentioned something before Wednesday’s game in that there is always the next game. That’s right. We need to to get out of this position where we are.”

Howson, meanwhile, is out of contract in the summer and Woodgate has hinted a few times that the former Leeds man is close to penning a new deal.

Howson was giving very little away. He said: “Not at this minute, time will tell. My focus is on Monday night and nothing else at this moment in time.”