Our Boro fan panel name their favourite Middlesbrough moments

The last few weeks at Middlesbrough have been filled with many highs that have built the positive vibe around the club.

As well as two big victories to help Boro’s promotion push, we had two Riverside sell-outs, first for the Legacy Game, and then for the 150 Fixture.

Both were about Boro celebrating 150 years since the club was formed, and as well as creating a lot of good feeling around the club, has been a time to celebrate the past.

The great thing about football, and Boro in particular, is the emotion that comes with supporting the club, and the memories that are made along the way - sometimes universal, sometimes unique and personal.

That could not be better summed up by our fan panel this week who, with the good vibes in mind, we asked to pick their favourite Boro memories.

Our fan panel this week consists of Youtube analyst Phil Spencer, Boro Breakdown co-host Dana Malt, Boropolis co-founder Chris Cassidy, and Twe12th Man member John Donovan.

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Phil Spencer

It's so hard to pinpoint one standout moment as my most memorable supporting Middlesbrough.

From my first game in the 90s, to getting my season ticket in 2003 and witnessing our Carling Cup win in Cardiff and embarking on our European adventure, there has been so much to cheer.

Even in adulthood, seeing our team secure promotion under Aitor Karanka was just incredible.

Thankfully, the Legacy Game was the perfect way to bring all of these wonderful memories together.

To see all of my favourite players from childhood and adulthood on the field at the same time was just incredible.

Seeing my undisputed Boro hero, Juninho, again and watching him strut his stuff on the pitch even brought a tear to my eye.

In 36 years I've seen highs, lows and plenty of mediocrity and I'm sure that there's going to be more just around the corner. However, to have a day where every Boro fan could reminisce about the heroes of the past is something that I'll never forget.

John Donovan

Choosing my most memorable Boro moment wasn't easy. Being a Boro regular for many decades, I've witnessed lots of ups and downs.

Being rescued from extinction with minutes to spare in 1986 has to be up there. Since that time we've had more ups than all the proceeding seasons.

Memorable games for me include Wigan at home that gained us promotion from the 3rd division, the following season we won promotion to the top flight with play off wins against Bradford and Chelsea, and epic FA Cup games against Everton. Then there is our first visit to Wembley in the ZDS Cup.

Our final game at Ayresome Park and the first game at the Riverside were emotional games, memorable in their own right.

The Carling Cup final, the amazing UEFA Cup games, Eindhoven, Brighton at home to clinch promotion back to the Premier League.

I've probably missed a lot of people's choices for their most memorable moment as a Boro fan. More recently, the Legacy Game and our 150th game vs Wolves were fantastic events.

But for me, my most memorable moment supporting Boro was the home game versus Spurs at Ayresome Park on December 20, 1980. We won 4-1 with goals from Hodgson (3) and Johnson, and it was where I met my partner of 45 years. I was the winner that day.

Chris Cassidy

As someone born in 2001, there hasn’t been too much to shout about as a match-going Middlesbrough fan.

The odd cup run, an occasional crack at the play-offs and two doses of Wembley heartache have been some of the ‘best bits’, if you can even call them that.

There was one moment of pure elation, though: promotion to the Premier League in the 2015/16 season.

Very rarely, if ever, does the final fixture of a season land on the two teams vying for automatic promotion. If ever it was going to happen, Boro was always going to be involved.

After all, we always have to do it the hard way. Following yet ANOTHER defeat at Wembley the season prior and after the chaos of the infamous Aitor Karanka walkout, it just felt like destiny.

Boro ultimately stumbled over the line in the most dramatic fashion. The run-in alone had provided us with enough stress. Thank god for Adam Forshaw and Jordan Rhodes, eh?

It seems ridiculous to say, given I’ve picked it as my most ‘memorable’ moment, but I don’t actually remember a lot of the football played on the day.

Truth to be told, I was a nervous wreck. The added time alone felt as long as a whole ninety-minute game.

I’ve had to go and watch it back numerous times to give myself a full recollection of the actual match.

Funnily enough, Boro could have put the game to bed numerous times, and yet it still took Dale Stephens hacking a chunk out of Gaston Ramirez’s leg for us to get over the line.

Dana Malt

It was a moment that happened during Boro’s play-off semi-final second leg against Brentford in 2015.

Lee Tomlin received the ball on the edge of the box and shaped up to shoot. The result of that was, in my opinion, the perfect goal. Postage stamp straight in the top corner.

I just remember the noise of the Riverside when that nestled into the back of the net. It was the tone setter for that game, the moment that gave Boro the advantage.

It was the first time I’d experienced a Boro team good enough to get somewhere. Prior to that, I’d seen Boro teams disappoint more often that night.

That 2014/15 team was different. That night against Brentford was probably my favourite game I’ve been to - even better than the Brighton match, which was marred by fraught nerves!

Everything went right for Boro during that game. They were a good team, Brentford, but we had their number.

The pre-match fighting talk from their camp - ‘boring, boring Boro’ - well and truly backfired. We put on a show that evening.

It was a special night with a special celebratory atmosphere throughout, which was started by that very moment from Tomlin.

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As well as hearing their views on particular Boro topics on Teesside Live each week, you can also hear from them further on their respective platforms.

Phil Spencer runs his own Youtube channel Bonkers For Boro, which you can subscribe to here, while Ry Charman has his own Youtube channel Inrictus, where he does popular live watchalongs of all Boro games.

Chris Cassidy is part of the Boropolis Podcast, Dana Malt is part of the Boro Breakdown Podcast, and John Donovan is part of the Twe12th Man Podcast, all of which you can listen to on all major podcast outlets.

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