Middlesbrough boss hoping to swat away Bees

Middlesbrough manager Garry Monk is looking for his side to bounce back from their midweek disappointment at home to Norwich.
Garry Monk.Garry Monk.
Garry Monk.

The Canaries left Teesside on Tuesday night with a victory courtesy of James Maddison’s brilliant 12th-minute opener.

They then defended strongly after that to frustrate Monk’s home side and secure a 1-0 win.

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Boro will be looking to find more of a goal threat - they have scored 11 goals in 10 games so far, just one more than strugglinjg Sunderland - when they host Brentford tomorrow.

Monk said: “We have to learn the lessons, but we don’t have time to dwell.

“We want to put it right - and if we get the right reaction we go some way to making amends.

“The games where we haven’t done so well have been of our own doing. That’s the lesson to learn.

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“You don’t always get what you deserve in the Championship but we’re looking forward.”

Boro will be strong favourites tomorrow against a Brentford side with just one win to their name in the league this season.

They have eight points, seven fewer than ninth-placed Boro, though four of them came in the last week.

Their win came last Saturday when they enjoyed a 3-0 win at whipping boys Bolton, and they followed up with a midweek draw at home to Derby.

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Monk said: “They’re a very good side and will pose their threats.

“They play good football - they are similar to Fulham in that sense. We want to show the quality that we have and go into the international break on a positive.

“We can improve all areas of the pitch and we’ll be working hard to do that starting this weekend.”

Monk will consider his optins and could make changes if he feels he needs to freshen up his starting 11. There were no injury problems after Tuesday’s defeat.

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“It’s a squad game and all of them will be needed,” he added.

“They are all working hard and there’s been difficult decisions every game and that’s the way I want it.”

l Former Burnley and Blackburn manager Owen Coyle has been appointed Ross County manager.

County moved quickly to replace Jim McIntyre, who was sacked on Monday, by naming Coyle as their new boss on a two-year contract.

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The 51-year-old will be assisted by Sandy Stewart, his former Airdrie team-mate and long-time number two.

Coyle had been installed as favourite to take over at former club Falkirk after Peter Houston left on Sunday night.

County chairman Roy MacGregor claimed on Monday that he would take his time to find a successor to McIntyre and had not even thought about the replacement, but he has acted quickly to install Coyle.

The Dingwall side sit 10th in the Ladbrokes Premiership after collecting four points from their opening seven matches.

Coyle, whose first match in charge will come against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday, was sacked by Blackburn in February.