Swansea City boss Luke Williams critcises Middlesbrough supporters following 2-0 defeat | OneFootball

Swansea City boss Luke Williams branded the atmosphere at the Riverside Stadium as 'like going to a charity game in the summer' as his side slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough.

It was a poor afternoon all round for the Swans, and their supporters who made the mammoth journey from South Wales to Teeside would have been less than impressed by what they saw.

Williams branded the game as 'atrocious' and was clearly a very unhappy man after his side's poor performance.

The result means that Swansea are now just five points ahead of the relegation zone with five games left, and aren't safe yet after failing to win a game since the 16th March.

Luke Williams on the atmosphere at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium

Despite normally being a relaxed figure, Luke Williams couldn't hide his emotions after his side's display at the Riverside Stadium.

He told the Northern Echo, "It was just an atrocious game of football, an absolutely diabolical example of the Championship.

"It would have been nicer if we'd won, at least we could have then pretended to be happy about something, but goodness me."

It wasn't just his side's performance that annoyed Williams, with the crowd at the Riverside Stadium also coming in for criticism from the Swansea boss.

He said, "There was nothing right about that. It was like going to a charity game in the summer, no atmosphere, a bit of talking in the crowd.

"The first goal was a comedy, the second one isn't loads better. It's hard to find anything good about today, especially when you don't get any points.

"The ball is kicked into the box and is nowhere near a Middlesbrough player. Somehow between a defender and a goalkeeper we decide to make a shot and a save ourselves and then watch a player dribble around slowly in the box and trickle in the corner."

"The way we played today was unacceptable."

With just a handful of games left and with either side not having too much to play for, it's understandable why the atmosphere at The Riverside would be somewhat subdued.

However, Boro fans won't take too kindly to their atmosphere being criticised, particularly as the club boast the sixth-highest average attendance in the Championship with an average attendance of 26,723 this season.

Swansea City can't let themselves get dragged into the relegation battle

After beating bitter rivals Cardiff City prior to the international break, it looked as if Swansea had secured their Championship status for another season.

However, they've picked up just one point from the three games that have followed despite playing against sides like QPR and Sheffield Wednesday, who are towards the bottom of the Championship table.

Understandably, some Swansea supporters are concerned that they could get dragged into the relegation battle, and will certainly need at least another win to secure their Championship status for another season.

Williams' frustration post-match was evident, and perhaps that could be the wake-up call his players needed to stop themselves from sleepwalking to relegation.

It would take a major disaster for Swansea to be relegated from here, but they can't be too complacent ahead of their final five games of the season.