Tony Mowbray returns to management this evening after a break of almost 12 months while he received treatment for bowel cancer. There’s a sense of irony for the 61-year-old Middlesbrough legend that his return comes at the Riverside.

Replacing Carlos Corberan at West Brom, Mowbray was emotional at his unveiling as he spoke about his return to football. He was last in charge of fellow Midlands clubs Birmingham City, unexpectedly having to step away after just eight games in charge due to his cancer diagnosis.

Almost one year on, Mowbray is back and feeling healthy and energised after his break. He revealed he called his doctor when the West Brom opportunity arose, to get scan results back early that gave him the all clear. In an emotional interview, he detailed what had been a tough but heartwarming year to this point.

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"Over the last year, it has been unbelievable (the support he has received),” he said. “The football family and the contact I have had from some, people I don't even know, Premier League managers contact you and the LMA, players, it has been an avalanche of love coming my way.

"I've had family and friends and the warmth has given me motivation and drive to dig in on dark days. As a big strong man, I thought I would cruise through it, but there were days when I collapsed on the kitchen floor. It is tough.

"But I would look at my phone and have 20 messages, ten managers, competitors, I have felt the love. As a person, it's probably given me strength. It's given me an ability to look at myself. Lots of days where I need the support of my family.

“I do remember sitting in a hospital bed, feeling pretty ill. I know the feeling of lack of energy. Your body just empties of energy. Today, I am bouncing, full of energy. I can feel it coming out of me."

Re-energised and ready for his new role, Mowbray took a watching brief on Saturday as the Baggies drew 1-1 with Stoke City. Though he professed to going in the dressing room at half-time of that game, he takes charge properly for the first time this evening against Boro at the Riverside.

Not only will he be battling Boro in this game - a fact that leaves him feeling the irony - he will also be competing with Michael Carrick’s side for a top-six spot in the final 19 games of the season.

“I don’t know if ironic is the right word, but the fact the first game is going to Middlesbrough - the place where I live, my family live, grew up there as a boy, played for 12 years…” Mowbray said. “It seems pretty strange to go back there. I’ve watched about four or five of their games live this year though, which is a positive for us.

“I’m hopeful we can compete right at the top of this division. I feel very honoured to join a club that is threatening the top six. I feel there is enough games left for us to try and cement one of them places. It could be difficult with the players needing to take in new information. Will there be a little dip before we start to rise again? Let’s wait and see. I hope not but things are going to be a lot different to what we have been doing.”

From Boro’s perspective, it will be hard to predict what to expect from Mowbray’s West Brom this evening. He prefers an attacking style of play but takes over a side that for over two years have been drilled by the defensive-minded Corberan. As such, they have the second-best defence in the Championship but have scored 11 fewer goals than Boro. To make Mowbray’s challenge tougher, they’ve recently lost Josh Maja to a serious injury, who has 12 of their 33 goals.

On what he’d like his team to look like, Mowbray said: “A different coach has implanted very cleverly and very tactically, his style on this football team. Over a period of time I want to change it to a style that I like that can hopefully score more goals, create more chances and be more attack-minded.

“But in doing that, don’t lose the very good defensive attitude and structure in the team. Hopefully we can combine the two and over time have a team that is very difficult to play against. As I’ve come through the door here in the last couple of days, there are some very good attacking footballers at this club.”