Middlesbrough miss third Premier League promotion chance in Hull defeat
Middlesbrough have missed an unprecedented third chance to secure Premier League promotion in the same season following an injury-time play-off final defeat by Hull City at Wembley.
The Teessiders’ hopes of ending a nine-year top-flight exile were extinguished when Oli McBurnie struck a dramatic late winner.
Hull’s decisive goal came after goalkeeper Sol Brynn could only parry a cross into the path of the waiting striker.
It marks the devastating conclusion to an extraordinary month that saw the club handed a surprise reprieve amid the Southampton ‘Spygate’ scandal.
A month of unprecedented drama
Most Championship sides are granted a maximum of two avenues to promotion, either via an automatic spot or the traditional play-off route.
Kim Hellberg’s squad initially saw their top-two ambitions thwarted on the final day of the regular campaign following a costly draw at Wrexham.
They were subsequently defeated by Southampton over two legs in the semi-finals, losing deep into extra time at St Mary’s.
However, an independent panel dramatically expelled the Saints after staff member Will Salt was caught attempting to record a training session at Rockliffe Park.
Spygate reprieve ends in Wembley agony
That unprecedented ruling reinstated the North Yorkshire outfit directly into the Wembley showpiece against the Tigers.
Despite being handed a remarkable lifeline, the team could not capitalise on their unexpected return to the national stadium.
The Boro head coach summed up the mood following a frantic fortnight of appeals and reinstatements.
“It has been a rollercoaster of emotions,” Hellberg admitted.
Dominant campaign ends in despair
The heart-breaking finale is particularly bitter given the club spent 35 of the 46 matchdays occupying an automatic promotion spot.
They had even surged to the summit of the table in early February following a sparkling run of six consecutive victories.
Now, the Riverside Stadium faithful must face another demanding season in the second tier as the fallout from an astonishing May continues to reverberate.