Middlesbrough must forget rivals and focus on form - Gibson

[March 08, 2017]    (Reuters) - Defender Ben Gibson has urged Middlesbrough to focus on improving their form rather than banking on relegation rivals dropping points after Saturday's loss at Stoke City extended the club's winless Premier League run to 10 games.

Middlesbrough's Ben Gibson arrives at the stadium before the match Reuters / Scott Heppell Livepic

Middlesbrough are the league's lowest scorers with 19 goals and, despite a respectable defensive record, their profligacy in front of goal this season has seen them drop to 18th, three points adrift of safety with 11 games remaining.

"It's about us, if we aren't getting our results and doing our jobs we can't look to other people to not be doing theirs. If we do our job we'll get out of the relegation zone," Gibson told the club's website. (www.mfc.co.uk)

"...We're running out of opportunities but we aren't going to give up without a fight.

Middlesbrough host Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday before facing sixth-placed Manchester United on March 19.

(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet)

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.