It probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
Sitting in the stands at Victoria Park last night with 88 minutes gone, I was ready to click “send” on a match report that dissected Boro Under-21s first defeat since August.
But then James Husband rose highest to head Emmanuel Ledesma’s deep cross past Jak Alnwick in the Newcastle goal.
Were the Geordies Steaua Bucharest or Basel in disguise?
They could well have been, as Callum Cooke drilled home a dramatic late winner seconds later to send Boro Under-21s top of the league in extraordinary fashion - leaving Peter Beardsley’s Magpies totally despondent.
It may not have quite been on the same stage as Boro’s remarkable road to Eindhoven in 2006 but for a second it felt like Cooke had fired the Teessiders into the UEFA Cup final all over again.
But should it have come as a surprise?
Less than a fortnight ago, trailing 3-1 at Reading on the back of a miserable 80 minutes, Boro’s young guns looked set to lose their first game since the opening day at Derby County.
But Cooke - who is fast becoming Boro’s very own Massimo Maccarone - scored late to give Paul Jenkins’ side a chance.
Then step up Dael Fry, who showed the composure of a seasoned striker to coolly lob the Royals goalkeeper and spark scenes of jubilation on the Boro touchline.
Hang on, didn’t Boro’s Under-21s score another late goal at Gateshead last week? It wasn’t Cooke again was it? You bet it was.
But scoring late goals is no fluke. Under Sir Alex Ferguson for the best part of two decades, Manchester United were the kings of the late show. It became something of a norm, a tradition, an inevitable twist in the tale.
It’s a nice trait to have and Boro’s Under-21s are understandably oozing confidence right now. Sitting top of the table, they are the talk of Rockcliffe Park - and first-team head coach Aitor Karanka must be rubbing his hands together with glee.
Many of these youngsters are already knocking on the first-team door. Teesside’s pool of talent is getting deeper every week.
With Boro’s first-team also sitting comfortably in the play-off positions and fans rightly harbouring hopes of a first return to the Premier League since 2009, the Teessiders’ young guns are desperate not to be a mere side show this season.
Promotion to the Premier League for Karanka’s men would naturally grab the headlines, but promotion for Boro’s Under-21s would also be a magnificent achievement.
It’s early days in both races, and there will be many twists and turns left before next May. But isn’t it nice for Boro fans to take real pride in both its senior stars and upcoming starlets dazzling on the national stage?
Last Tuesday’s defeat at Wolves for Boro took the shine off what has been a good start to the season for the first-team, but it was business as usual on Saturday as Karanka’s warriors went toe-to-toe with promotion contenders Watford.
The Championship is a funny league and there will be shocks. Wigan’s victory at leaders Derby on Saturday said it all - four points from a tough week which also included trips to Brighton and Wolves is nothing to be sniffed at.
But off the pitch, what is clear is that there is a real confidence surrounding Rockcliffe Park right now. From the senior side down to the youth set-up, there’s a calmness, a confidence and a buzz. It could be a special year for Middlesbrough Football Club.
Last night’s late show should not have been a surprise.
It may not have grabbed the same headlines of Steaua Bucharest and Basel eight years ago, but it was the latest in a run of events that suggests something special is brewing on Teesside.
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