NOTTINGHAM Forest’s visit to Middlesbrough might have been a day for Aitor Karanka to cherish for years to come, even if it was a compatriot he knew all about who prevented an even sweeter return to Teesside.

Karanka was touched and full of emotion when the Boro fans gave him a rousing reception when he first entered his technical area in the ninth minute – and by that time Daniel Ayala had already given the home side the lead.

Karanka, a manager who prides himself on keeping things tight at the back, was a frustrated figure when a powerful defender he relied heavily on during the promotion chasing years at the Riverside had done exactly what he had warned Forest’s players about.

It was the sort of display from Ayala that will have reminded his former boss of the sort of performances he turned in regularly to help clean sheet after clean sheet before Middlesbrough returned to the Premier League.

On top of the resilience he showed alongside the rest of the back four that did well to protect Darren Randolph’s goal, Ayala also showed how useful he is in the other penalty area by scoring – and could have had another.

The 27-year-old opened the scoring with a brilliant take down, turn and half volley in the seventh minute that flew straight into the far corner.

He also flicked on another corner just after the half-hour, which ended up being cleared to the edge of the area, where Stewart Downing was lurking to hammer in the second.

There was then an overhead kick in the second half from Ayala that would have made it three, while his general play was spot on to leave both managers purring over what he had offer – particularly Tony Pulis.

The Middlesbrough manager said: “He is a threat at set-pieces, he was fantastic. He has been very, very good since we came in and I was saying to David Kemp that of all the clubs we have been at in 19 years, he would be in any of those squads. He reached that Premier League level, unfortunately they were relegated.”

It was high praise indeed from Pulis, who will be hoping such performances will help Middlesbrough ensure Ayala gets another crack at the top-flight next season.

Karanka said: “If I show you how many times we showed the players about Daniel Ayala in the meeting you can’t understand why we conceded, but that is football and we need to keep improving.”

Ayala was one of the players who had a disagreement with Karanka during his time at the Riverside, along with Saturday’s other scorer, Downing.

While there were splits in the camp before he left in March last year after a depressing run of results that saw Middlesbrough slip into the Premier League’s bottom three, there is no disputing he had a successful spell in charge.

That was why it was fitting for Middlesbrough’s fans to give him such a fantastic reception by singing his name and applauding, something he clearly appreciated and which touched him.

“It was really nice and it has been a difficult week to prepare everything,” said Karanka, who went for a glass of wine with Pulis after the game to reflect on the occasion.

“I have a lot of good memories and I did not have any doubt that we love each other because when I came here I felt a really hungry club and when I left it was a club in the Premier League.

“I was in an odd place, especially with people saying I had problems with the players, with the crowd and the board. The first person to send me a message on Friday before I came here was the chairman (Steve Gibson) and it was a nice reception from the fans.

“It was emotional because I have a lot of good memories and it is impossible to forget them, especially because it was my first job.

“I will have more experience and get older, but as a manager I have been in one dug-out and changing room and it has been difficult, but I need to keep going to keep those good memories and have a relationship with everybody and try to repeat this.”

Middlesbrough’s 2-0 victory keeps them a point clear of Millwall in the battle for a play-off spot.

This is shaping up to be a huge week for Middlesbrough because after the trip to Sheffield United tomorrow, they will then face Bristol City on Saturday at the Riverside – both teams are four points behind Boro in the battle for the top six.

Middlesbrough might have to play better than they did against Nottingham Forest. Aside from the two goals, they didn’t do enough until the dying stages to create enough chances to put a tame affair to bed.

Pulis said: “I was pleased with the first half, I thought we played really well with the movement of the ball and the positions we got into and the opportunities and chances.

“The one disappointing thing was that half-time came because it stopped the momentum, which sometimes happens.

“They had nothing to fear in the second-half or worry about and they looked more relaxed on the ball but we still had the best opportunities in the second half.”

Despite allowing Forest to push on more after the restart, it was clear to see why Karanka’s side have not scored for five matches because Randolph didn’t really have a save to make apart from a Joe Lolley effort from distance that was comfortably held.

But Middlesbrough didn’t dictate the play anywhere near as much as they should have done, and will need to if they are to stand a greater chance of returning to the Premier League this season.

Having said that, after the introduction of Britt Assombalonga from the bench, they should still have given the lead a more handsome look.

The former Nottingham Forest striker, who had a torrid time in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, missed a couple of fantastic chances, while he also cleverly teed up another for Patrick Bamford to curl wide too.

Nevertheless Middlesbrough, boasting seven players in the starting line-up who figured in Karanka’s last game in charge of the club, had done enough already to stay in sixth.

Pulis said: “There are five games to go. We spend far too much time in this country worrying about everyone else and what they are doing instead of concentrating on our own lives.

“I can only affect what happens at this club and that is what I have told the players, they have to do the same. This is a great three points but they now have to focus on Tuesday, that’s all we can do.

“We just have to focus on what we can do. If it goes for us, brilliant; if it doesn’t, we have to make sure we were properly prepared. The important thing is we remain focused and we do our best and the players understand that.

“That’s important. The players must prepare properly, enjoy this result and make sure they do that again.”