Teesside steels itself for a much-needed moment of joy

A region forged from the furnaces of heavy industry finds itself casting around for a new identity, as the socio-economic indicators that divide the haves from the have-nots continue to accentuate the gulf between this pocket of North-East England and the rest of the country. The Northern Powerhouse feels like a cruel misnomer when the use of food banks is one of the few areas of growth.

Amid that backdrop, football can seem like a frivolous irrelevance. How can the success or failure of 11 men kicking a ball around on a field provide any kind of compensation for lives ripped apart and family finances plunged into turmoil?

As he sits in Middlesbrough’s start-of-the-art training complex at Rockliffe Park, on the edge of leafy Hurworth, you could be forgiven for assuming that Grant Leadbitter lives in a world apart from the day-to-day struggles of so many Teessiders.

In many ways, he does, but that is not to say he is oblivious to the wider context in which today’s promotion decider between Middlesbrough and Brighton will be taking place.

There are reminders at every turn. The father and brother of Steve Gibson, Middlesbrough’s talismanic owner, were steelworkers. Two of Stewart Downing’s closest friends were left unemployed when SSI shut down their blast furnace. George Friend, born and raised in Devon but now emotionally attached to Teesside in a way he never thought possible, dreamed up the idea of a charity calendar that has funded Middlesbrough’s Team Talk project, an initiative that has funded ‘Boot Rooms’ where former steelworkers can meet to train and hold workshops.

In an era where footballers are supposed to be mercenaries, obsessed by their Bentleys and bling, this a club that remains rooted in its community.

That is the background to the promotion battle that will reach a remarkable climax this afternoon. Returning to the Premier League after a seven-year absence will not soothe the multiple ills that have been inflicted on Middlesbrough and its surrounding areas recently, but the restoration of civic pride will count for something.

There will be a collective spring in the step, a sense that Teesside has taken everything that has been thrown at it and begun to fight back. That, more than the £170m bounty for winning promotion, is what is at stake.

“There’s definitely an awareness of what this means to the area,” said Leadbitter, who revels in his leadership responsibilities as Middlesbrough’s captain. “We all know exactly what we’re playing for. We’ve got people like Ben Gibson, Jonathan Woodgate and Stewart Downing, who are from the area and have been part of this for all of their lives.

“When I went up to Sunderland as a young boy, it certainly helped to have that connection in and around the club. It’s good to have them in the dressing room because they know the area and they have lots of friends constantly reminding them of what it all means.

“They’re constantly feeding stuff into the dressing room, and that can only benefit the group. They’re aware of what’s been happening on Teesside in the last few years because their families have been going through it themselves.

“They’re aware, and we’re all aware too. We do see things and hear things around the place, and there’d be nothing better than for the club to go up, especially with everything that’s gone on over the last 12 months with the economy and unemployment.”

Some of the effects that would accompany promotion are easily measured. There would be an economic impact thanks to the increased away support that would follow the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool to the Riverside, and the uplift in home attendances would put further money into the local economy.

It is the intangibles that would matter most though, the fact that Teesside would be making headlines for all the right reasons amid a rekindling of the pride and fervour that enveloped the Bryan Robson-era and was evident again as Steve McClaren led Middlesbrough to Carling Cup success and the UEFA Cup final.

Sitting in the press room at Rockliffe Park earlier this week, Leadbitter was flanked by a series of photographs illustrating some of the great moments from Boro’s recent past – a jubilant Steve Gibson being hoisted into the air in Cardiff, Mark Schwarzer’s penalty save at the Etihad Stadium, McClaren’s team lining up alongside their Sevilla counterparts in Eindhoven.

The snapshots end in 2009 though. That is year zero when it comes to Middlesbrough’s Championship existence, a seven-year slog that has seen ambition blunted at every turn, primarily under the stewardship of Gordon Strachan and Tony Mowbray, not to mention the heartbreak of last season’s narrow miss when Aitor Karanka’s side lost to Norwich City in the play-off final.

It is time to create some new memories, and while he would never be bullish enough to admit it, you suspect Leadbitter would like nothing more than to be looking at a picture of his own beaming face when he meets the press for the first time next season.

“It would be special for the football club to do it,” he said. “Since the club has come down from the Premier League, it’s been through a tough time.

“It’s always been the main ambition to get the club back to the top-flight. When I first came here, that was what I wanted to do. I have to thank Tony Mowbray for bringing me to this club, and ever since then, I’ve loved it.

“I don’t know why, but I love playing for the club. I think you play your best football when you enjoy playing for a football club, and I’ve certainly enjoyed myself here.

“I’ve always felt this club is in the wrong division, but there are a lot of other teams that would say the same thing. That’s one thing you learn – there are a lot of good teams in this division and it’s always hard to get out of. The three teams will deserve to go up, no matter who they are. We’re just looking to be one of them.”

Leadbitter, who joined Middlesbrough in the summer of 2012, also has personal ambitions to fulfil. Having progressed through Sunderland’s academy as a teenager, he spent three full seasons in the top-flight with the Black Cats, but his final Premier League appearance came in a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in August 2009, when he came off the bench to replace Lee Cattermole.

Since then, he has made more than 270 Championship appearances, first for Ipswich and then for Boro, but while he might have turned 30 in January, he retains faith in his ability to succeed at the highest level.

“I’d have been a bit disappointed if you’d said I’d still be in the Championship now when I left Sunderland,” he admitted. “I’d have wanted to play more games in the Premier League, but I have an opportunity to do that now.

“I’m happy with the way my career has gone, and really happy with where I am, but you always want to do better. I have friends who have gone back to the Premier League in their 30s, I’ll look forward to hopefully doing that this weekend.”

He will not be alone. With the sold-out signs having been posted at the Riverside weeks ago, more than 30,000 Teessiders will be tingling with a sense of nervous expectation as they troop towards the stadium this lunch-time.

They have been let down before, both on the football field and in the political arena, but perhaps this is their time. “Hopefully, it will be a special day,” said Leadbitter. It would be hard to begrudge any of them that.