Middlesbrough match-winner Morgan Whittaker gives 'credit' to Sheffield Wednesday and their 'noisy' fans
The Owls slipped to another defeat but made it hard for promotion-chasing Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough’s match-winner Morgan Whittaker praised Sheffield Wednesday and their ‘noisy’ fans.
Whittaker took advantage of a stray pass from Gabriel Otegbayo to put the hosts in front on 11 minutes and it turned out to be the only goal in the game at the Riverside Stadium. The victory secured a play-off place for Boro while also keeping their slim hopes of automatic promotion still alive. It was their first win in eight, a run which is probably going to cost them a shot at finishing in the top two.
Speaking after the match, Whittaker said getting back to winning ways was ‘massive’, but he acknowledged it was not an easy task against The Owls who were backed by another vocal away following.
“I think obviously teams look at Sheffield Wednesday and their position and think it is going to be three points,” he said. “Well, that's not the case. Good team, good players, and the fans were noisy tonight, so for us to come play our game and get three points was massive.
“I think that is credit to them (Wednesday). I think even the situation they're in, it's not an easy game. No game in the Championship is easy. So I think we've just shown a different way of winning tonight. And I think if we could take that into the next few games, how we defend and stuck together, we are in a good place.”
Whittaker’s goal was his 12th of the season but first since January although he was out injured for a short spell in that time. The 25-year-old was alert in the box to cut-out Otegbayo’s back-pass to Murphy Cooper before applying a simple finish.
On his goal, he said: “It is something the gaffer is big on, not just marking your player, if you can mark another player as well as yours, that can be good. And I think it's just how good we are pressing as a team, and knowing that when we get teams in corners, we can go after them and get the ball. So, yeah, I think it's something we work on.”
Wednesday are back in action on Saturday away at Oxford United, while Boro host Watford.