Gareth Southgate was pleased to see his side claim their first win in seven attempts.
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate was pleased to see his side claim their first win in seven attempts.Recent weeks have seen Boro plummeting towards the wrong end of the table, but the Teessiders out-played relegation rivals Charlton on their way to a 2-0 triumph.
"I thought we deserved the win on the day but we should have made it easier for ourselves," said manager Gareth Southgate.
"It was nice not to go behind and not to give away a penalty.
"With the way Charlton set up we knew if they had scored first it would have been hard to break them down."
Southgate was also full of praise for Argentine Julio Arca - who opened his account for the club with the second goal.
"We've been playing Julio in the centre of midfield to give us some creativity and he was excellent today and it's great that he got a goal," he said.
"We know how comfortable he is in possession and sometimes you need someone in midfield who can put his foot on the ball and show some composure.
"He's been unfortunate with the injury at the start of the season but he's shown the class he's got today and I think the crowd will really take to him."
Southgate also revealed he was intending on opening contract talks with Mark Viduka.
"I thought he had put a tremendous amount into the game and with a busy period coming up, he'd given us everything on the day," said Southgate.
"His hold up play is terrific and he makes a significant difference for us when he's in the side.
"I haven't hidden the fact that I would love him to stay here. He's a tremendous player and he can be a leader at the front for us.
"We've not had a chance to talk yet but at the moment his performances are doing the talking for him."
