Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka, right, lifts the cup with Grant Leadbetter as they celebrate returning to the English Premier League after the Championship match against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, England, Saturday May 7, 2016.
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Alas, all’s well that ends well. He’ll be damn glad he’s stuck with the club now as they nipped Brighton to promotion as they drew 1-1.
Speculation has swirled over Karanka’s future on Teesside after a freakish mid-season bust-up which saw him stay at home while his club slumped to a potentially crucial defeat at Charlton.
Brighton, which itself needed to win the game to secure automatic promotion, drew level in the 55th through Dale Stephens’ header.
Hughton said: “In another season we would have gone up automatically, but that’s how it is – you’re always going to look back at the moments when you could have got more points”.
Next season will be the first step into top-flight management for the highly-rated Karanka, who impressed as assistant manager to Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013.
“When (referee) Mike Dean blew the final whistle in the play-off final a year ago, the only emotion was of total desolation, but when he blew the final whistle this time we went to the other end of the spectrum”.
It is only two months since Karanka was briefly placed on gardening leave and missed a defeat at Charlton following a fallout with his players but a subsequent 10-game unbeaten run has vindicated the decision of Steve Gibson, Boro’s owner and chairman, not to sack the Spaniard.
Karanka finished the season with what seemed like a tactical masterstroke, replacing Stewart Downing with Cristhian Stuani, who excelled throughout and scored the crucial opening goal after 19 minutes.
“We had really good motivation to work this year”.
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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Hughton meanwhile was left with “pride” in his players’s performance. We knew it was going to be hard.
