There’s nothing straightforward about backing the Boro; the last 25 years has seen them reach six cup finals, achieve four promotions and suffer relegation four times, amongst controversial points deductions and ultimately being on the brink of collapse, had it not been for savior, Steve Gibson. Despite incredibly the last decade being the most successful in the clubs’ history at the Riverside, there is no doubt that Ayresome Park still holds a place in the hearts of the older generation of Middlesbrough fans.

Every true Boro fan has their own Ayresome memories, some good, some bad; but all would agree that there have been few occasions where such an atmosphere and buzz has been created like that of Ayresome Park and the ‘Ayresome Angels’ since a move to the Riverside Stadium in 1995. The historic ground was the home of Middlesbrough FC for the best part of 90 years, after they had moved there having played at Linthorpe Road West cricket ground; election to the Football League meant that an improved stadium was required. Ayresome Park was built at Paradise Field, a stone’s throw from the old stadium of Middlesbrough Ironopolis, who had played in the Football League in the 1893–94 season. The ground’s official capacity stood at 26,667, but this was often succeeded drastically, as a result of terraced spacing and poor safety regulations. In fact this figure doubled when Middlesbrough met fierce rivals Newcastle United in 1949.

 The stadium was elected by the FA to host three world cup matches in what turned out to be a memorable tournament in 1966, one of which saw a huge giant killing as minnows North Korea defeated Italy by a goal to nil to knock out one of the most powerful footballing nations and advance the Koreans to the quarter-finals in the process. However the hosting of matches failed to do the tournament justice, with just with just 15,887 fans at the game for North Korea versus Chile, the lowest by far in the entire tournament .

The dark days of 1986 saw the club come close to folding, after suffering severe financial difficulties. The year of 1986 is remembered as a time where the club reached an all time low; the gates of Ayresome were padlocked and the club moved to Hartlepool’s Victoria Park on a temporary basis. Without the £350,000 required for Football League registration, it seemed inevitable that the club would fold permanently. However, Steve Gibson, a member of the board at the time, put together a consortium and with ten minutes to spare before the deadline, they completed their registration with the Football League for the 1986–87 season. Following the registration, a change of club crest and official name to Middlesbrough Football and Athletic Club (1986) Ltd was brought about. This came as a huge scare to the club and its fans, and not long after,  plans were unveiled for a new 35,000 all seater stadium to be built to replace the ageing Ayresome Park.

Ayresome Park witnessed many classic encounters involving Middlesbrough, including the final competitive game it staged, which saw Middlesbrough secure the division one title and secure promotion to the premier league for the first time in 1995, with a 2-1 victory over Luton Town. The final goal scored on the hallowed turf belonged to Boro legend John Hendrie. The game proved to be the turning point in the clubs’ future, with the next few years seeing them reach numerous cup finals, only to return on the losing side.    

Demolished in 1997, the grounds of Ayresome Park have now been turned into a housing estate, leaving little trace of the fortress that became a second home for Boro fans. It was briefly retained as a training ground until a new facility was opened. Much of the memorabilia connected with the ground remains extremely desirable in the area and to commemorate the ground, the original gates of Ayresome Park have been erected outside the main entrance to the club’s new ground, the Riverside Stadium.