Shay Given will be looking for a clean sheet against Leeds, but would sacrifice that shut-out for a win on his swansong
Shay Given
Shot stopper supreme Shay Given aims to sign off his Boro stint in style in Saturday’s showdown with Leeds.
The keeper wants to end his successful loan spell at Boro by collecting a tenth clean sheet.
But he would sacrifice that shut-out so long as Boro win in his swansong.
“There’ll be a bit of sadness with it being my last game here,” said the veteran, who returns to Aston Villa on Monday.
“I really want to go out on a high at Middlesbrough and keep another clean sheet.
“But if I can’t do that and it finishes 10-9 then I’d take that now because we just want to win the game. It’s all about the team not about me personally, we just want the three points.”
Given has proved a massive hit with fans and admits that the vocal support helped him find his feet at the Riverside.
“I want to say thank you for the way the fans made me welcome,” he said. ”They have been fantastic to me personally.
“There’s always a bit of trepidation when you are settling in to a new club but the fans here have been fantastic.
“With my connections with Newcastle, one of the big local rivals, it could easily have gone either way but they have been phenomenal from the first game, home and away. So I want to thank them for that.
“And they haven’t just backed me but the whole team and I want them to keep that up for the rest of the season and keep on believing.
“I have been happy how things have gone and how the fans have reacted to me on a personal level was very pleasing.
“And I like to think I’ve helped the team a little bit as well.”
Boro tried to extend the clean sheet specialist’s loan deal in January and he was keen to stay but the club couldn’t agree terms with Villa on deadline day,
“I would have liked to have stayed until the end of the season and try to help Boro climb the table but it was very much out of my hands and I have to go back to Villa,” he explained.
“But I will look back fondly on my time at Boro. I was delighted that Mr Karanaka brought me in. I’ve had great times here and enjoyed every minute of it.”
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