Aitor Karanka: 'It was a great game, I'm very pleased because all the crowd have gone home happy'

Aitor Karanka is celebrating his second successive "brilliant" Boxing Day.

Last year, Boro beat pacesetters Burnley 1-0 on December 26 and, 12 months on, the club recorded an impressive 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

The club have come a long way in that time, not least in terms of support.

Just 20,289 turned up for the Burnley game but for this year's Boxing Day fixture, the 'sold out' notices went up at the Riverside for the first time since relegation.

A crowd of 32,277 packed the stadium and were rewarded with a fine display from Boro, w ho scored three second half goals without reply.

It was the biggest league Boxing Day crowd for a Boro game outside the top flight since the derby with Sunderland at Ayresome Park in 1973. On that occasion, Jack Charlton's team won 2-1 and would go on to win the Division Two title.

This year's bumper crowd was the biggest at the Riverside since the Premier League game against Manchester United on May 2, 2009, when 33,767 turned up.

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Naturally, Karanka was delighted that the game sold out and equally delighted that his players coped with the pressure of performing in front of such a big crowd.

"It was a great game, it's my second Boxing Day and both them have been brilliant for me," he said.

"Last season it was Burnley and this season it has been Nottingham

"But for us it was a difficult game," he added. "It was difficult for the team because my players usually play in front of 14-16,000 people and it's not easy to go onto the pitch and play in front of 32,000 people.

"I don't think a lot of players have played games in front of 32,000 people and they showed everybody that they can play in front of this sort of atmosphere so that means a lot to me."

Aitor Karanka

George Friend opened the scoring with his first goal of the season in the 53rd minute before Jelle Vossen added a second in the 79th minute.

Skipper Grant Leadbitter added a late third from the penalty spot in the 87th minute to cap a miserable day for Stuart Pearce's Forest, who were reduced to 10 men when Kelvin Wilson picked up his second yellow of the match in the 67th minute.

After the game, Karanka praised his players for their attitude and for recovering impressively from the 2-0 defeat at Ipswich last weekend.

"They did well," he said.

"We didn't start very well but we finished the first half much better than we started it and at the end of the game I am very pleased.

"I knew after the game at Ipswich that we always have a very good reaction to a defeat and I am very pleased because all the crowd have gone home happy.

"I told the players at half-time that the goals would arrive because we were were playing well at the end of the first half but we had to pass the ball quicker and improve our movement."

Rhys Williams made his first appearance since January when he came off the bench in the 89th minute against Forest.

The Australian suffered a torn Achilles' tendon playing for Boro against Wigan and was out for 11 months.

Karanka, meanwhile, confirmed that Dani Ayala missed the Forest game through illness and is a doubt for the trip to Blackburn on Sunday.