Middlesbrough and Brighton are level on points in the Championship’s second and third spots – victory for Brighton will send them up, anything less means their fate lies in the play offs.
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Alas, all’s well that ends well.
Aitor Karanka will lead Middlesbrough back into the Premier League next season after dismissing reports linking him with a move away from the Riverside Stadium.
“I wasn’t really in any doubt this year”.
Lee Brown scored Rovers’ victor in stoppage time, which was enough to oust Stanley who drew 0-0 at home to Stevenage and must now rely on making League One by the playoff route.
The play-off final is usually thought of as the most dramatic and high-pressured single game in the English domestic football calendar, but the beauty of this season in the Championship is that we effectively have two.
Karanka, inspired by the belief that his side had learned from last season’s play-off final defeat, responded boldly by bringing Stuani back into his line-up and leaving local boy Stewart Downing and striker Jordan Rhodes on the bench.
AN emotional and extremely proud Grant Leadbitter thinks Middlesbrough’s return to the Premier League is exactly what Steve Gibson deserves for decades of highs and lows during his time in the boardroom.
They will face sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday, while Hull City take on Derby County.
Middlesbrough began a nervy day on Teesside in ideal fashion, opening the scoring through Cristian Stuani on 19 minutes.
However, minutes later Stephens went from hero to villain after he received a straight red card for a horror tackle on Gaston Ramirez.
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Middlesbrough’s Spanish manager Karanka was left feeling emotional as the Riverside pitch was engulfed by fans afterwards.
