Wheater focused only on Coventry

Wheater made his Middlesbrough debut in 2005

Middlesbrough captain David Wheater is only looking forward to Saturday's game at Coventry after the 5-0 thrashing at the hands of West Brom.

"We just need to concentrate on the next game now, and work hard in training towards that game," the defender, 22, told BBC Tees.

"We're scoring goals and we were defending well before the game on Saturday. We need to keep that going."

Saturday's mauling was only Boro's second league defeat of the season.

"I couldn't really tell you what happened, it just didn't go right from the beginning," Wheater said.

"No-one had a terrible game, it's just that nothing clicked. When the second goal went in I think we knew it wasn't going to be our day."

And he was keen to stress that the weekend's events were merely a blip on what has otherwise been a relatively successful start to the season.

You turn into a leader with a captain's armband. It makes you feel 10ft tall

Middlesbrough captain David Wheater

"We're three points off [second-placed] Newcastle, and we've got a plus-five goal difference - I can't remember the last time we had a plus goal difference," he said.

"So it's going well at the moment - apart from that one defeat and the Bristol [City] game - but we have been playing well and playing some good football."

Wheater also said that his experience skippering his local side has been a rewarding one, despite his young age.

"You turn into a leader with a captain's armband," he said.

"It makes you feel 10ft tall. Maybe before I wasn't vocal enough but now you feel like you have to do it, it's like a responsibility and I think I'm doing a decent job.

"I couldn't really believe it when the manager asked me. It was the last day of the transfer window when he called me for a meeting and I thought 'Uh-oh, what's going to happen here?'

"He asked me if my mum and dad were coming to the next game, I said 'I don't think so', and when he asked if I could get them down, that's when I realised he was going to ask me to be captain.

"I said I'd love to and I'd really be proud to do it."