Middlesbrough defender McMahon expresses form concerns

McMahon was part of Boro's FA Youth Cup winning team in 2004

Middlesbrough defender Tony McMahon says their "embarrassing" form must be addressed to avoid being dragged deeper into a relegation battle.

Despite being tipped as one of the pre-season promotion favourites, Boro have struggled in their second season in the Championship - and now stand 23rd.

"It's horrible," McMahon told BBC Tees. "It's quite embarrassing to pick up a paper and see we're second bottom.

"We're in a relegation battle. That's the way we've got to look at it."

Boro won just three times in their first 11 games this season under Gordon Strachan before he was sacked as manager.

After starting with a home defeat, new boss Tony Mowbray then inspired his team to two straight wins but Boro have now picked up only one point out of a possible nine to drop back into the Championship relegation zone, three points adrift of safety.

"Before a ball was kicked, we were favourites to win it," added McMahon. "But, if the season ends tomorrow, we're relegated into League One. And nobody wants that.

"Obviously it's never going to happen, though, because we're going to stick together, we're going to grind results out and we're going to end up moving up the table."

Even in such worrying times, Boro have at least been encouraged by the form at the heart of their defence of Matthew Bates and David Wheater, two of McMahon's team-mates when they won the FA Youth Cup in 2004.

Bates has overcome a fourth cruciate ligament injury to earn a regular first-team place alongside Wheater, whose impending contract expiry has reportedly alerted the interest of Newcastle United.

"With all the speculation surrounding David, for the club's sake and for them too as well, I hope they can continue playing together as long as they can because it's a great partnership," said McMahon.

"When you think of the FA Youth Cup side, they played together then, and they've played there all the way through together, when Matthew's been fit, so it's brilliant."

McMahon, 24, signed professional terms at Middlesbrough in 2003, but did not make his first-team debut until October 2004.

Since then he has made 92 career appearances, including loan spells at Blackpool and Sheffield Wednesday.