Middlesbrough boss Gordon Strachan is hoping the comforts of home will spark an npower Championship fightback. Boro slipped to 19th place in the table as a result on Tuesday night's 3-1 defeat at Derby, their second in succession on the road. Strachan held meetings with chairman Steve Gibson and his senior players this week in an effort to thrash out the "fundamental problem" he believes is hampering their efforts but remains confident they can turn things around, starting at home to Portsmouth. He told the club's official website: "I like playing at the Riverside - we have done not too badly there - but I would like to sort this away form out. "I go to away games thinking `yes, we will win today' and that's not bravado. I see the players and they are working hard. "But if you don't win away games, there's a lot more pressure goes on your home games. At the moment we seem to get spooked when we concede a goal away from home."
Source: PA
Source: PA