Tony Mowbray made "really important" Middlesbrough signing - They hit the jackpot | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit had nothing but kind words about his former captain, Grant Leadbitter

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It's been almost a decade since Middlesbrough were last promoted to the Premier League, and even now, many of those who were a part of the Aitor Karanka side that finished second in the 2015/16 campaign are still heralded as heroes at The Riverside.

The captain of that side was Grant Leadbitter, who, like others in that team, was brought to the club under Tony Mowbray, arriving on a free transfer from Ipswich Town.

However, he excelled under his Spanish successor, playing 43 of the 46 games in their play-off final year, and then 41 the year after, which culminated in Premier League promotion.

He led by example, ensuring that the rest of the squad was prepared for a promotion push the year after the play-off heartbreak in the final against Norwich City, and ultimately, he led Boro fans to a day they haven't had the likes of since that draw against Brighton on the final day of the 15/16 term.

Matthew Rowney, FLW's Boro fan pundit, appreciates everything he did for the club while he was there, and believes that the 39-year-old will go down in history as one of the best captains at The Riverside.

Middlesbrough fan pundit fondly looks back on Grant Leadbitter's time at the club

Rowney revelled in being able to relive Leadbitter's time at Middlesbrough, as it allowed him to think back to the promotion year under Aitor Karanka.

"Looking back on Leadbitter's time at Middlesbrough, he was one of the really important signings that Tony Mowbray made prior to Aitor Karanka coming to the club," he said.

"The likes of him, George Friend, I think Albert Adomah was one — a lot of those who were successful in that promotion season were brought in before Karanka arrived.

"The foundations were set in place by Mowbray, really, and Leadbitter was one of many, and probably the most important of the lot, because he was a ruthless captain in the centre of the pitch."

The fan pundit almost credits Boro's promotion campaign to the leadership qualities that Leadbitter possessed with the armband.

The 2015 play-off final defeat to Norwich came off the back of his best season in terms of goal contributions, scoring 12 and assisting eight throughout the year. However, the team didn't reach their end goal, and it seemed to light something under the captain to ensure they went one better the following year.

"He was very demanding of his teammates, and I think a lot of that is what helped push us up towards promotion," he added.

"When we look back at when Boro lost the play-off final, there's a famous image of Leadbitter at Wembley, staring blankly at the Norwich fans celebrating, or it might have been the Boro fans, and I remember him saying something along the lines of 'from that moment onwards, we knew we were going to get promoted.'

"It's almost like he took that defeat and used it as fuel to help Boro get the job done the following season, which, of course, we went and did in 2015/16."

Grant Leadbitter's leadership helped Middlesbrough achieve promotion

It wasn't just a one-time showing of determination after the play-off final, however. Leadbitter's leadership was on show all the way through their 89-point campaign the following year.

Middlesbrough went on a 13-game run from late October into the new year, where they lost just one league game. They won 11 of them and kept 11 clean sheets alongside them. Centre-back Daniel Ayala put that unbelievable run down to an unorthodox team-building exercise from their captain, and Rowney recounts: "When we were going through a rough patch, I remember there was a story that Leadbitter got all the Boro players together, got them round his house, I think they had a meal, a night where they all hung out.

"That was another big moment, I feel, in that season where he took it upon himself to get everyone together and another moment where he galvanised the squad to get everyone on side.

"I think he contributed so much to Boro's promotion, both on and off the field, and a lot of it gets forgotten or goes under the radar. He was even pretty decent for us in the Premier League."

Leadbitter may have only made 13 Premier League appearances for Boro as they were relegated in their sole season back in the top flight, but his influence in the team was still unmatched even then.

Those in the Riverside will ultimately remember him best, however, for his role in getting them back there after seven seasons away.

"You can look back at a lot of those players, Gaston Ramirez, Jordan Rhodes, numerous players in that team who had big moments to get us over the line," Rowney concluded.

"But I think, ultimately, without Leadbitter at the heart of everything, in the middle of the pitch, Boro don't get promoted.