The former Boro player and manager expects the momentum and energy obtained from promotion to serve the side well in the top-flight of English football.
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The last time Middlesbrough played in the Premier League was in 2007/2008 season.
Middlesbrough secured promotion to the 2016/17 Premier League after a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.
It’s massive for the town and the whole of Teeside.
He was quick to praise the job done by boss Aitor Karanka, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s fantastic closure for them”.
“I’ve been coach for two and a half years”.
This time past year, Karanka’s team were heading into a play-off campaign that would end with a final defeat against Norwich City. “Probably not. This year was our year and I am glad we took that chance”.
“It’s unbelievable”, Karanka said.
“I grew up watching Middlesbrough in the Premier League – now we are back there and I can’t wait to bring those nights home again”.
Brighton can still be promoted through the playoffs where it faces Sheffield Wednesday in the semifinals, with Hull and Derby in the other semifinal.
Middlesbrough’s David Nugent and Stewart Downing dedicated the clubs return to the Premier League to the chairman Steve Gibson.
Stuani and Ramirez both came close to a second as Boro continued to dominate the first half, but Brighton made them pay for their profligacy just after the break when Stephens turned a looping header beyond Dimitrios Konstantopoulos to equalise. But Stephens was sent off for a studs-showing challenge that left Gaston Ramirez on a stretcher with a huge gash on his shin.
Now on an unbeaten run of 13 games, Chris Hughton’s side has epitomised how a team imbued with confidence and solidarity can match their larger-spending rivals; their biggest investment was a mere £2.6 million in Anthony Knockaert.
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“A lot of of stuff was publicised and a lot of stuff got blown out of proportion a little bit but we have shown how strong we are”, insisted Gibson.
