AITOR KARANKA completed a lap of honour with Middlesbrough’s jubilant players after sealing a memorable trip to Wembley last night before challenging his men to cap it off with promotion to the Premier League.

A comprehensive semi-final second leg victory over Brentford at a packed Riverside Stadium sealed a final shoot-out against the winners of today’s meeting between East Anglian rivals Ipswich and Norwich City.

This year’s Championship play-off final is widely reported to be worth around £130m to the winners, as a result of the cash on offer for rejoining the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United back in the Premier League.

And Karanka is desperate to see Middlesbrough over the line having got a spirited squad to within touching distance of promotion after nine months of hard work in the Football League.

Asked how important the final will be for Middlesbrough, Karanka said: “The first thing I think about is the money, but it’s not just about the money it is these players.

“You can’t imagine how important next week’s game is for the club. These players deserve to play in the Premier League. A few of them have played in the Premier League and after ten months of working with them, all of them deserve to be back in the Premier League.

“It’s a big step for everybody, the players, me, the club, everybody. But we have to prepare for the game the best we can.”

Ten years to the day that Mark Schwarzer famously saved a Robbie Fowler penalty to secure a place in the UEFA Cup at Manchester City’s expense, Middlesbrough brushed off Brentford to earn a result which could yet prove even more important.

Lee Tomlin got things rolling in the 23rd minute with a lovely finish before Kike added a second ten minutes after half-time. Albert Adomah completed the win, which took the aggregate tally to 5-1, 12 minutes before the end.

Karanka, who won the Champions League three times with Real Madrid, could not hide his delight when the celebrations had died down last night.

He said: “You can imagine, I don’t have the words to describe how I am feeling ... the first thing I have to say is to the players. I said a long time ago that my players deserve the best, they have amazing spirit and I have to say thanks to them.

“I have achieved a lot of things as a player in the Champions League, but I have never had the opportunity to play at Wembley and now these players have given me the opportunity. Their attitude every single day is fantastic. It’s just thanks to them all.”

Karanka’s appreciation to the players was also extended to the rest of the club – most notably the man who appointed him 18 months ago, chairman Steve Gibson.

“I could feel since I arrived here the fans have been expecting these moments,” said the Boro boss. “These moments have arrived before but people wanted them back. I could not believe that in 18 months we could achieve this kind of game.

“They were with us and they deserve to be in this position and to enjoy this game with this team. It’s nice to be celebrating and it’s nice to be going to Wembley.

“When I came here, I told Steve he deserved the best and for him, the crowd, the club it is very good for everyone. Steve, the people who work at the club, for everyone it is important. And the players. I can’t say anything other than thanks.”

Karanka, who hopes to have Patrick Bamford fully fit next week, was delighted at the way Middlesbrough went about finishing the job, having secure a 2-1 advantage a week earlier at Griffin Park.

He said: “It was a game we could all enjoy because we went 3-0 up. The last two days I thought it could be the perfect night then I thought in the first ten minutes it could be a nightmare. I thank God, and the players the night was perfect.”

Brentford boss Mark Warburton, who is set to leave at the end of the month, said: “Tonight we were second best and Boro were the better team and credit to them. Middlesbrough are a very strong squad, they are a unit, team wise they are strong. This is a big club, 34,000 fans, it was a Premier League support and tonight the best team went through.”