Middlesbrough 0-1 Norwich City: James Maddison happy with his ‘OK’ match-winner

Maddison's gorgeous 13th-minute strike was worthy of winning any game of football – but City will certainly take the fact it earned them a superb 1-0 victory at pre-season Championship favourites Middlesbrough, coming with a fifth successive league clean sheet.

'He called it OK? I'll take that off the boss – that's a very big compliment off him actually,' said a beaming Maddison.

'Yeah, it's one of the best ones I've scored, to be honest – and I know it's a cliché but as long as it helps towards the three points, tha'ts the best thing. And to top it off with a nice goal like that is always special.

'It's definitely one of the highlights of my career. You come to a stadium like this and you look around, and it's a Premier League ground and a Premier League club.

James Maddison fires the Canaries into an early lead at the Riverside Stadium. (Image: �Focus Images Limited www.focus-images.co.uk +447814 482222)

'To come here in the way we did, play the way we did and dig in, to show the character that we showed tonight, was just a credit to the team, the boss and the whole club.'

The 20-ear-old added: 'That clean sheet record speaks for itself. We highlighted that we had problems – not in the defence but as a defending unit, across the whole team; especially after the Millwall game, as has been highlighted a lot in the press.

'As I said, credit can only go to the boss and the coaching staff because we worked relentlessly on the training ground to put it right – and when you come to places like this and get clean sheets, that's what it's about.'

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City players celebrate James Maddison's early strike against Middlesbrough. (Image: �Focus Images Limited www.focus-images.co.uk +447814 482222)