MIDDLESBROUGH 0, WATFORD 1

LOAN star Tom Cleverley completed a dream week by triggering another torrent of boos at the Riverside Stadium.

The Manchester United midfielder was part of the victorious England Under-21 side last weekend and struck the killer 27th-minute goal here that piles even more pressure on Boro boss Gareth Southgate.

The England connection extended to Watford keeper Scott Loach, also part of the Under-21s' 6-3 win over Macedonia. He had all the answers during a 20-minute spell when the pressure was on.

Cleverley, 20, has now scored five goals since moving on loan. His Old Trafford centre-back colleague, Craig Cathcart, has turned his loan spell into a success as well, with the Hornets losing only one of six away League games.

But the performance of the Boro kids left Southgate an isolated figure, with the majority of unhappy fans demanding a change of manager.

He still has the support of chairman Steve Gibson - but not many others on Teesside.

Gibson himself is even becoming a target for some after three home defeats in a row, seven goals conceded and none scored. And attendances are diving as the protests grow.

Southgate even tried to take the heat off his players by staying out of the dugout for most of the game, to avoid provoking abuse from fans.

Not exactly a good sign but that is the way it is at Boro. The question now is - for how long?

The truth is Gibson is likely to stick with his manager no matter what but Boro face Derby at home on Tuesday in a crucial game.

Southgate conceded: "We've got to deal with the pressure from the crowd.

"We have to step up to the mark, we've got to get it right on Tuesday. Whether the players are capable of doing that, we will find out." But he was honest enough to admit: "We didn't do enough to win it. We didn't do our jobs.

"We lost every individual battle across the field and we have to rectify it very quickly.

"We are a different team away but it is the home games that will decide where we finish."

Boro were tame before Cleverley struck. Then it took until five minutes before the break for them to get going. Watford, with five in midfield, passed the ball better and manager Malky Mackay was full of praise for the goalscorer.

He said: "Tom Cleverley has been different class since he came. His professionalism, attitude and work-rate speak volumes for the club he's from.

"The way he has applied himself, integrated into the group and applied himself in training has been exceptional."

And he added: "The goal was fantastic, the way it was manufactured and taken. I thought there was a coolness and calm about us. We got it down and played and were also resilient."

Boro paid the price for a particularly poor spell with the ball, giving it away too cheaply, by conceding the first-half goal.

Watford showed them how to pass with a smooth build-up, capped by a neat one-two inside the box through Cleverley and Danny Graham.

It left Cleverley clear and he stroked the chance past Brad Jones confidently from six yards.

It was a bit of revenge for Graham on Southgate, too. They played together for Boro but, as a manager, he let the striker go two years ago.

Before the goal Watford passed the ball better and Loach did not have a save to make as Boro failed to penetrate.

But the keeper earned his bonus five minutes before the break, punching clear a Mark Yeates corner while under pressure, followed by a diving stop from a Leroy Lita header.

Boro also wasted a great ball across the face of goal by Yeates.

If they were looking for inspiration from highy-rated Adam Johnson, they waited in vain. The winger, watched by Premier League scouts, started well but disappeared with Yeates the more effective wide man.

But Boro's busiest attacker was Gary O'Neil, who used the ball well and fired in a 37th-minute shot that was just too high.

Loach produced another solid stop after the interval from Didier Digard, as Boro continued the charge that had started just before the break.

Lita lifted over a chance from Johnson's cross and a Sean St Ledger header beat Loach but was disallowed by referee Scott Mathieson for pushing.

Tony McMahon hit the underside of the bar from 25 yards and Watford then had to deal with a succession of corners, with Loach again impressive.

But the intensity of Boro's attacks started to fade with 25 minutes left.

There was no spark from strikers Lita and Jeremie Aliadiere but it was wide man Yeates who was puzzlingly taken off.

Lita wasted a half-chance but it was Watford substitute Nathan Ellington - on for Cleverley - who signalled a change in the game in the 70th minute, when a chance dropped to him which was diverted just over the bar.

Boro showed their desperation at the end with St Ledger angrily pushing Adrian Mariappa after having a penalty appeal turned down.

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