THERE have been some magic moments for Middlesbrough in the last two decades, from Carling Cup triumphs to Europa League final defeats, but in terms of importance, nothing can match the game that the Teessiders can now look forward to a week on Monday.

The biggest game in club football, the £130m match, the defining 90 minutes of the Football League season. Whatever you want to call it, it is the game Boro have been waiting for ever since they dropped out of the Premier League in 2009. “A small town in the top-flight” has quite a nice ring.

Aitor Karanka’s side will take on either Norwich City or Ipswich Town in the play-off final at Wembley after a capacity Riverside crowd watched them see off Brentford in last night’s semi-final second leg with a minimum of fuss.

Displaying the blend of ruthless professionalism and dynamic attacking skill that has enabled them to compete at the top end of the Championship table all season, the Teessiders closed out a 5-1 aggregate victory that was ultimately every bit as convincing as the scoreline suggests.

Lee Tomlin’s precise first-half finish ensured Boro’s one-goal lead from the first leg would not go to waste, and by the time Kike lashed home a second goal ten minutes into the second half, the tie was as good as over.

Albert Adomah, who was the pick of Boro’s players over the two legs of the semi-final, danced his way into the penalty area to drive in a third goal with 12 minutes remaining, and the final whistle was accompanied by scenes of unbridled celebration. Having to wait so long for a shot at redemption can elicit such emotions.

The result meant Karanka’s decision to keep Patrick Bamford on the substitutes’ bench was vindicated, and while the striker’s ankle injury remains a concern, he should at least have the best possible chance of being fit for Wembley.

Not, however, that he was missed last night. Despite their first-leg advantage, the Teessiders’ approach was ambitious from the outset, with Tomlin, Adomah and Jelle Vossen all looking to push forward in support of Kike at every available opportunity.

Adomah was especially bright in the opening stages, just as he had been seven days earlier at Griffin Park, and any fears of Boro adopting a dangerously negative approach were allayed by the sight of the winger sprinting past Brentford full-back Jake Bidwell in the second minute.

Initially, the hosts’ bright approach play did not translate into an opportunity on goal, although Kike should perhaps have threatened Bees goalkeeper David Button when he burst beyond Harlee Dean to reach Grant Leadbitter’s early through ball, only to opt to turn back infield rather than get a shot away.

Brentford’s early work was more measured than might have been expected given their need to claim a victory, and while Jota forced Dimi Konstantopoulos into a routine save with a tame 16th-minute effort from outside the area, the visitors lacked the urgency that their position surely demanded.

Given that Boro ended the regular season with the best defensive record in the league, scoring one goal was always going to be a tough task for a Brentford side who had crashed to a 4-0 defeat at the Riverside in September. Halfway through the first half, and they found themselves needing two just to force extra-time.

Having dominated his opponent throughout the opening 23 minutes, it was no surprise to see Adomah acting as the architect of the breakthrough, with his quick footwork as he cut in from the right-hand side enabling him to roll the ball into Tomlin’s path on the edge of the box.

The midfielder took one touch to control the ball, and with his next, he side-footed an exquisite finish that found the net via the inside of the right-hand post. The strike took the slightest of deflections off Dean, but looked to be heading in anyway. It was Tomlin’s eighth goal of the season, and the most important by a considerable margin.

It bolstered Boro’s position significantly, although the night might have become markedly more difficult had Adam Clayton been shown a red card rather than a yellow when he clattered through the back of Alex Pritchard ten minutes before the interval.

It was an uncharacteristically rash challenge from a player whose controlled approach has been one of Boro’s key strengths this season, but thankfully it drew a fairly muted response from referee Lee Mason.

With Konstantopoulos’ only other first-half action seeing him clutch Andre Gray’s snatched header three minutes before the break, the Teessiders headed into the second half without a need to take any reckless gambles.

Their overriding priority in the second period was to protect their clean sheet, and while they suffered an early scare when Andre Gray narrowly failed to connect with Moses Odubajo’s driven cross – just as he had in the final minute of the first game in West London – they were rarely flustered.

Dani Ayala and Ben Gibson comfortably outmuscled Gray, and with Dean Whitehead and George Friend keeping their forward forays from the full-back berths to a minimum, there was a solidity to Boro’s defensive work that has been apparent for the majority of the season.

Even so, a second goal was always going to make things a whole lot less stressful, and when it arrived ten minutes after the interval, Wembley preparations could well and truly begin.

Tomlin’s incisive approach play has opened up a number of Championship defences this term, and the former Peterborough play-maker was at it again as he deftly released Vossen behind the Brentford defence.

Vossen was unable to get a shot away as he attempted to turn infield, but the ball broke kindly for Kike, and the Spaniard displayed commendable composure as he hesitated to allow a space to open up before gleefully lashing home from ten yards.

To their credit, Brentford pushed men forward in a futile attempt to claw their way back into things, but their adventure merely left them open at the back, and Boro claimed a third goal with 12 minutes remaining.

It was the best of the lot, and one of the most attractive they have scored all season, with Tomlin and Vossen exchanging passes to propel the Belgian into the area. Vossen played in Adomah, and after executing a crisp one-two with Tomlin, the winger drove home via the underside of the crossbar.