CHRIS WILDER has cited Brentford and Bournemouth as the type of clubs that Middlesbrough should be looking to emulate as they attempt to force their way back into the upper echelons of the English game.

For much of the 1990s and 2000s, Boro were an established Premier League force, but since being relegated in 2009, the Teessiders have spent just one season in the top-flight.

In that period, they have watched a number of clubs overtake them, both financially and in terms of their achievements, to the point where they now find themselves among a group of clubs that are struggling to punch above their weight in the Championship, let alone make it back to the Premier League.

Having replaced Neil Warnock in the Riverside hotseat last weekend, Wilder accepts it will be a huge challenge to win promotion ahead of rivals that are being propped up by lucrative parachute payments. But having seen a number of teams upset the odds in recent seasons, he insists it should not be an impossible dream.

“You’ve got to affect what you can affect, control what you can control,” said Wilder, who will take charge of his first game as Boro boss when Millwall travel to Teesside a week tomorrow. “You look at teams like Brentford or Bournemouth, who have found themselves in the Premier League - they’ve got there for a reason.

“We have a unique football pyramid, and if you’re a big football club that just rests on its laurels and thinks it’s a given and a guarantee, then things happen and you start sliding. Going the other way, the beauty of the pyramid is that with a lot of hard work and a lot of expertise and people who are committed and passionate, you can find yourself as one of these clubs that has done what Brentford and Bournemouth have done, finding themselves in arguably the best division in Europe.”

If Boro are to outperform clubs with bigger budgets, they are going to have improve their record in the transfer market, hence the summer reorganisation that featured the appointment of Kieran Scott as the Teessiders’ first head of football.

For all that Steve Gibson is continuing to provide financial support, Boro cannot outbid clubs that have recently been relegated from the top-flight, so there is an acceptance they will have to be more creative and analytical when it comes to recruiting players.

Wilder will also hope to maximise the potential of the Rockliffe Park academy, which has long been a fruitful source of first-team talent. Warnock gave Isaiah Jones and Josh Coburn chances in the senior side this season, and his successor wants to build on that internal development.

“The area has always produced talented footballers, and it seems local boys want to play for this football club, which I am delighted about,” said Wilder. “Hopefully, we can dominate our area and I’m keen to ensure there is a link from the academy to the first team.

“I know young Josh has been playing recently, and Isaiah and a couple of the other guys have had opportunities too.

"When I spoke to the young men at the Under-23s game on Sunday, I told them there is definitely a pathway for them to get in, but only if their attitude is right and they’re good enough. Hopefully, there will be some gems we can pick out of there.”

Wilder has spent the last few days getting his feet under the table, and has enjoyed being back in frontline management after more than six months out of the game. He understands that some supporters will have been disappointed to see Warnock leave, but is confident he can win them round.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I would like to think my appointment has gone down well. There will always be people who think the club could have gone another way, but that’s the beauty of football and the beauty of opinions.

“I’m here for a reason, and my track record hopefully gives supporters optimism that I can get the club where it needs to be in a manner and a style that they’ll enjoy.

"It’s tough times, but I know how much the supporters in Middlesbrough love their football.

"Hopefully, we can show them what we’re all about and then I’m sure they will get right behind us."