Steve Agnew: "It has been a tough few months"

Middlesbrough boss Steve Agnew has admitted that "it has been a tough few months" at the Riverside Stadium as the club sink closer to relegation from the Premier League.

Saturday's 4-0 defeat at Bournemouth has left Boro in 19th position in the Premier League table, some nine points behind 17th-placed Hull City.

Agnew replaced Aitor Karanka as manager of the struggling outfit last month, but the 51-year-old has been unable to oversee a change in fortunes.

"We lost the game in the first period. We defended really poorly for two goals and gave ourselves a difficult afternoon. We're all disappointed with the defending and the way we conceded early goals," Agnew told BBC Sport.

"We have to go and beat Sunderland on Wednesday and move on from there. It's been a tough few months, certainly since our last win. We have to regroup and be ready for the Sunderland game."

Next up for Middlesbrough is a home game against basement club Sunderland on April 26.