Homegrown defender Ben Gibson has praised Middlesbrough's support after the club booked their place in the Championship play-off's with a 0-0 draw with Brighton.
A Football League season-high of almost 33,500 packed the Riverside Stadium for the final day of the regular season, and Gibson was especially complimentary of the fans' tribute to much-loved Chairman Steve Gibson - the defender's uncle.
The 22-year-old spoke of the club's owner's gratitude for an opening display which saw a banner reading "we shall overcome", showers of confetti and a minute-long rendition of "there's only one Stevie Gibson" at the start of the match.
“I hope it meant a lot to him, I’m certain it did,” the England under-21 international said.
“I think in the past maybe he hasn’t got the credit he deserves, he is 1000% the best chairman in the country in my mind.
“There’s never been a fear that we’ll struggle financially or have an unclear future so long as he’s been here. He knows what he’s doing.
“I’m amazed at times that some people think we’re going to have a billionaire owner come in and we’ll be like Manchester City. That’s not going to happen.
“But we’ve got a chairman who has kept our club safe through some tricky times and is always looking for ways to take the club forward. He deserves the credit.”
The owner, who rescued the club from liquidation in 1986 and has been revered as a Boro legend ever since, is said to invest around £1million each month into the club - and given recent reports of pre-tax losses topping the £20million mark, his financial support is now more important than ever.
The windfall of a Premier League return would be a welcome reward for the chairman, but defender Gibson says that he is not looking for personal praise as long as the club is successful.
“If we get to Wembley and go up through to the play-offs to the Premier League it will mean everything to him,” he said.
“That would be the ultimate for him. He’s a Middlesbrough lad, he’s a massive Boro fan before anything else. That’s why he took over the club - and look where he brought it.
“Yes we’ve had a few bad times along the way but that’s a little blip because we’ve had some great times as well.
“We’re all hoping we can get back there and bring the great times back for him, for us and for all the supporters.
“It’s what Steve Gibson wants, we want and everyone wants. Its what the town needs.”
Gibson has allegedly drawn attention from clubs such as Manchester City and Liverpool in recent months, but has pledged his commitment to the Teesside club as they push for promotion.