Leeds United hero Luke Ayling shares emotional message after Middlesbrough play-off heartbreak | OneFootball

Leeds United promotion hero Luke Ayling says he fell back in love with football this season despite Middlesbrough’s play-off heartbreak. The player said in a post that he was gutted with the outcome at Wembley.

Boro lost their semi-final to Southampton. They were reinstated when the Saints were found guilty of spying on opponents and expelled. Ayling then faced out-on-loan Leeds forward Joe Gelhardt in the final, decided by an added-time Oli McBurnie goal.

It left Boro as the first Championship side to lose both a semi-final and a final in the same play-offs. He felt the squad gave everything from the first day of pre-season to the last whistle at Wembley.

He accepted it did not end as dreamt, and insisted the group will be back fighting to get the club promoted. He also thanked supporters and described a smile returning every time he crossed the white line.

Ayling played 40 of 46 regular-season matches and all three play-off ties, 43 outings, his most in a single league campaign since 2014/15 with Bristol City. This was his second full season at the Riverside after signing permanently in summer 2024, following a loan in the second half of 2023/24.

He spent eight years at Elland Road after joining in 2016. After semi-final heartbreak against Derby County under Marcelo Bielsa in 2019, Leeds won the 2019/20 Championship. He played all 38 top-flight games as Leeds finished ninth and made 268 appearances before falling out of favour under Daniel Farke.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk