Hogan Strikes To Take Heat Off Karanka

Sorry Boro beaten on their return to action

- Chris Dunlavy

Aitor Karanka wants victory over Middlesbrough to dispel the cloud of “atmosphere and negativity” hanging over Birmingham City.

Scott Hogan’s first-half strike earned a deserved win for the Blues, who had taken just one point from six games on arrival at the Riverside.

That miserable run included a 4-1 hammering at the hands of Neil Warnock’s side in the reverse fixture on December 19. This time, though, it was Covidhit Boro who were outclassed as the Blues turned in their most complete performance of the campaign.

“I am very pleased because I always said this group of players should be higher in the table,” said Karanka, who guided Middlesbrough to promotion from the Championship in 2015-16.

“The table does not reflect the effort we put in. I think – and I hope – this game will be a reflection of the future. The first 35 minutes we played very well with the ball, and when we had to defend, we did it well against a very good team. The players were really committed.

“The biggest challenge for me here has been the atmosphere and negativity. I thought I had fixed it at the start of the season, then we found ourselves in the same situation. In that way, this is a very important result.”