Maamria In Positive Mood - Despite Defeat

“I thought we were brilliant,” he told the club`s official Pitchero website. “I've talked with the lads after, sometimes things like that happen in football. You have to learn from it. But the performance was brilliant.

“But winning is a process. You have to get a number of things right consistently to be winning on a constant basis. That's what we need to do.

“This has been my first week with the players full-time. We did some good work and I think that showed.

“We played good football. Playing from the back through the thirds. On another day we could have scored six or seven. Their manager apologised at the end of the game for the win."

Now in his second week of permanent charge of Boro, Maamria knows what lies ahead: "We've got to keep working as hard as we have last week.

"Sometimes you just don't get the rub of the green. So, we've got to keep working even harder."

Although encouraged by his sides attacking flair, Maamria knows the importance of defensive foundations.

"I'm really pleased that's been my focus this week. Back four, back eight shape. You can see we were very organised, the goal came from a lapse of concentration, but we can develop that."

Whilst yet to see his Boro side win, the Tunisian is excited by the project ahead: "Remember we have got a young team. We've got a brand of football we want to play and players to develop. In this, mistakes will happen, but we have to be patient and support them, by giving them the tools to learn. And they are learning".