The Boro boss was overjoyed that his team restored some pride in themselves by beating Hull City yesterday.
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has spoken of his pride in the character and commitment of his team, as they defeated Hull City 3-1 at the Riverside yesterday to breathe some faint life back into their rapidly expiring Premier League survival hopes.
Southgate had urged his players to stand up and show the critics that they were good players and, in the process, claw back some much needed self-respect to the club.
"We had to be men today, we had to stand up and answer some questions which had been put internally and externally," he told the club's official website, after the game.
"We've given ourselves hope. We're still in there fighting and you just never know.
"There's still a huge amount to do but the other teams have something to lose now and frankly, we haven't. We were five points adrift this morning."
The Boro manager also praised the performance of Marlon King, the striker on-loan from Wigan Athletic, who has been embroiled in much recent controversy off the field. It was King who grabbed the third goal in the second-half of yesterday's game.
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"I'm pleased for Kingy because his overall performance was excellent," said Southgate.
"He got the crowd going which was important. We need that leadership in the team and we need to be men between now and the end of the season, and we were men today."
The fact that the crowd responded so positively to the team, after some recent poor performances were treated with derision, also pleased the young manager.
"The atmosphere in the stadium was brilliant and it was great to get that sort of crowd. I really feel the fans have rallied behind us.
"We've said for a while that one win can change so much. We've been where other teams are now and you're looking over your shoulder, and it's more uncomfortable than where we are now."
Middlesbrough remain in the bottom three but are now, potentially, only two points from climbing out of the relegation zone.
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