Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder welcomes ‘nice pressure’ ahead of final day of Championship reckoning at Preston North End

Teessiders will fondly recall events at Molineux in May 1992 for instance, when Boro – down to ten men and trailing at Wolves – scored two goals in the final quarter to secure promotion and book their place in the maiden Premier League.

A safety-clinching 4-1 win against Newcastle to prevent Boro dropping into the third tier had arrived at Ayresome Park just two years earlier and they achieved promotion by the same margin on home soil, this time at the Riverside, to be elevated to the top-flight in 1998.

Memorably, there was also an ultra-tense ‘winners-takes-all’ afternoon against promotion rivals Brighton at the Riverside exactly six years ago today when Boro held their nerve to return to the big time.

As for the bad and the ugly?. Try a final-day draw at Leeds which relegated Boro from the Premier League in 1997 and a painful defeat at Sheffield Wednesday in 1989 when Bruce Rioch’s side dropped into the relegation zone for the first time in that 1988-89 season and went down from the old Division One.

If all that is a fair indicator, then there is likely to be drama at Deepdale today as Boro seek to win and hope that either Sheffield United or Luton slip up to pinch a play-off place.

The famous Lancashire venue also has a place in Boro’s eventful final-day history.

On the last day of arguably the most iconic season ever in the club’s history – 1973-74 – champions Boro, managed by Jack Charlton, triumphed 4-2 at Preston, whose manager was Bobby Charlton. It was the last managerial meeting between the brothers.

Boro’s prize today, if things go well, does not guarantee top-flight football. But it will at least provide a potential ticket.

Should Boro also require perspective, it is not hard to find.

In the reverse fixture, Preston won 2-1 at the Riverside to inflict the first defeat of the Chris Wilder era on November 23.

Boro were then in 15th spot and the play-offs seemed a country mile away.

Fast forward to today and 5,600 fans travel across the Pennines to Lancashire in hope – with many others watching a beamback at the Riverside.

Wilder said: “Whatever happens, let’s go out with a bang and get the result that we want.

“It was not ideal in November. I don’t think there can be any criticism of the team or anyone connected (since).

“We’re in with a shout going into the last game of the season and are in good nick.

“The players are playing well and on current form, we’re okay. We have got a lot to play for, we understand that.

“I am really looking forward to it and the Middlesbrough supporters are, judging by me being amongst them last weekend.

“We had a fabulous day at the Riverside and got a great result.

“We had the player of the year awards on Sunday, interacting with supporters and I had a couple of beers in Yarm on Sunday afternoon and bumped into supporters who are loving the journey.

“We want to continue that.”

For Wilder personally, today’s sense of expectation and pressure is also relative.

One of his most famous memories as a player arrived 32 years ago this week when his beloved Blades won 5-2 on an iconic afternoon at Leicester City’s old Filbert Street home to secure the club’s top-flight return after a 14-year absence.

On that very same sun-drenched day in 1989, his current club Boro did United a significant favour by beating their promotion rivals Newcastle.

That was joyous, but the date of May 3, 2014 had far different ramifications for the Boro chief.

That saw Wilder’s Northampton Town side claim a victory over his former club Oxford United to complete a remarkable escape from relegation out of the Football League.

It was a result which entered into Cobblers folklore.

Wilder commented: “I have had some important games both ways to go up and stay up as a player and a manager.

“I was at Northampton and when I took over, they were bottom of the Football League and it was the last day of the season to stay up.

“I think when people talk about pressure, that’s an incredible pressure to have from a football club point of view and financial one. This is a nice pressure to have on your shoulders.”