JONNY HOWSON knows what it takes to get out of the Championship, although Middlesbrough supporters would probably rather not be reminded of his previous promotion success.

Three seasons ago, Howson was part of the Norwich City team that brushed Boro aside in the play-off final at Wembley, with his midfield promptings playing a crucial role in the blistering start that saw the Canaries put the game to bed inside the opening 15 minutes.

While Middlesbrough’s players slumped to the Wembley turf at the end of the game, Howson celebrated jubilantly with his Norwich team-mates, toasting a promotion push that had been timed to perfection.

Fast forward a little over two years, and the 29-year-old finds himself in what was previously the opposition camp. Keen to leave Norwich and return closer to his Yorkshire roots, the midfielder became the first signing of what has proved to be a Middlesbrough spending spree when he completed a £4.5m move to Teesside at the start of last month.

He has joined a club determined to regain its Premier League status after the disappointment of last season’s relegation, and having made it out of the Championship before, sees plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the prospects of another promotion party in nine months’ time.

“I see the right ingredients,” said Howson, who will make his competitive Middlesbrough debut in Saturday’s Championship opener at Wolves. “The competition we have for places is hopefully what is going to drive us on and keep everybody on their toes. At this moment in time, I think we have a great chance of getting back up, but we have to go out and do it.

“We’ve got a lot of experience in the squad, and when you’ve got lads who have done it before, they know what’s needed to get out. Sometimes, it’s not always about pretty football, you have to mix it up a bit in this league and it can be tough at times. But I think we have all the ingredients needed, whatever might unfold.

“There are some big teams in the league, but that’s the same with every season. You always start each season, and there are always going to be teams mentioned. As long as we concentrate on ourselves, we’ll be fine.”

Howson might have been Garry Monk’s first signing as Middlesbrough manager, but he was far from the last. Cyrus Christie arrived shortly after, before Martin Braithwaite, Britt Assombalonga and Darren Randolph followed in an overhaul that must have been the envy of just about every other side in the Football League.

There have also been departures, but whereas some clubs require a lengthy period of stabilisation after dropping out of the top-flight, Boro look primed for an immediate return to the top-flight.

There is strength in every area of the squad, and while Howson has joined his manager in counselling against over-confidence, he readily accepts that anything less than promotion will be regarded as a failure.

“It’s great when you see people like Martin and Britt following you in,” he said. “The backing this club receives is fantastic, and it means you can go out and sign people like that. That can only add to the competition for places, that’s what you get when you can make quality signings.

“I think everyone associated with the club has been excited by what’s happened. But it’s okay for us to stand here and say, ‘We’ve got these players’. The bottom line is that we have to go out and perform week in, week out to get the club back into the Premier League where it should belong.”

With Boro’s first three games pitting them against Wolves, Sheffield United and Burton, there is a determination to hit the ground running to ensure the Teessiders establish themselves in the upper echelons of the table from the word go.

The likes of Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Fulham have been touted as strong promotion contenders, along with Howson’s former club, Norwich, but with the core of the squad that finished in second position two seasons ago still intact, there is surely no reason why Boro cannot contend again.

“I believe this is potentially the best team in the division,” said Howson. “And we’re certainly capable of going straight back up.

“The league seems to get harder each season. The number of quality players increases, along with the number of quality teams and managers. It seems to improve every season, but I’ve been fortunate enough to get out of this division before, and hopefully I can use that experience to help my new side.

“If you look around the side and see the number of quality players that we have, then potentially this team can go far.”