Defeat to Middlesbrough is hard to take, admits Hull City's Dawson

Middlesbrough's Gaston Ramirez scores his side's first goal of the game during the Premier League match at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough. (Picture: PA)

Former Tigers loanee Gaston Ramirez swooped to head home the only goal at the Riverside Stadium to earn Middlesbrough three precious points in the battle to beat the drop.

The win moved Boro up to 13th, four points clear of the bottom three places in which Hull are still ensconced.

Dawson, who had Hull’s first attempt on target on 83 minutes, said: “It’s hard to take but we’ve got to keep fighting.

Middlesbrough 1 Hull City 0: Gaston Ramirez ensures Boro get their due reward ag...

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“It does feel like an opportunity missed. When you’re playing teams in and around you these are the points you look to pick up.

“It’s disappointing to lose, just as it is any other game. We know it’s going to be a long, hard season, but we pick ourselves up and we’ve got to keep fighting, there’s no point feeling sorry for ourselves.

“You’ve got to keep fighting and we’ve got to look forward to Crystal Palace (at the KC Stadium) on Saturday.”

Hull set out in a 4-5-1 formation and it took until Ramirez’s header on 60 minutes for them to carry any attacking threat.

“First half they dominated the game, it was backs-against-the-wall but I though we defended well,” said Dawson.

“Second half we then came into the game, albeit when we were chasing the game. It was disappointing to concede from a set-piece after being so solid as a unit.

“That happens. You look at how much we had defended and how many corners they had. It’s down to individuals to mark their man, but we look at it collectively.

“We did an awful lot of defending Monday night and it’s just frustrating we couldn’t hold on.”