TONY Mowbray walked out into the technical area for the first time and was greeted with applause from all four Riverside Stadium stands.

After his battle with bowel cancer, Middlesbrough's fans were as thrilled as West Brom's - and the wider football world - to see the hugely popular Mowbray back in management.

His family were in the stands for his first game back, alongside thousands of Teessiders who grew up idolising the 61-year-old.

"I walk through the car park and dads are pushing their six year old sons over towards me," smiled Mowbray afterwards.

"It's the dad or granddad even who remembers. It's humbling for me but it's still disappointing to lose.

"I'm from Teesside. I was born in Saltburn and lived in Redcar for 20 years then moved to Eaglescliffe. I spent my life here and I was telling our media guy, I lived through the 80s when this club was locked up. The people of Teesside appreciate not just me but the whole team: Pears, Parkinson, Cooper, Pallister, Hamilton, Slaven, Ripley.

"It was a special time to be here because we got back to back promotions. The fans, the people, generally remember."

They'll never forget.

"I have a real affinity for this football club," said Mowbray.

"People here are really good to me. I've been to the last four or five home games. I've been in the directors' box and they've looked after me. I have a lot to thank this club for, it's a special club. But I'm head coach of West Brom and we were only here to win.

"My last words before we left the dressing room were 'we're only here to win'. I genuinely thought we could win but we need to start being a bit more potent at the top end of the pitch.

"My family were here. It's been a tough year for them but here we go again, we've had 20 years of this. Football management is always an up and down journey."

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On the back of Boro's recent Riverside struggles, Mowbray fancied his side's chances, but goals from Hayden Hackney and Ben Doak secured a much-needed victory for Michael Carrick's side.

Mowbray said: "I'd watched the last four Boro home games and they hadn't won any of them. You have to try and pray on that anxiety I suppose.

"You have to start fast and we did for the first 10 minutes or so, but we didn't score which is a problem for us, a lack of goals.

"If I look at the game to the end, in the second half we were much better than the last half an hour of the first half. I haven't really seen the stats but they don't matter, we lost 2-0 to two shots outside the box. Have we got anyone who can do that?

"Maybe the difference is they have Doak who can step inside and bend it inside into the top corner.  If we'd got back to one each, and I felt in the balance of the second half, that could have happened...but it drifted away from us a bit. Good luck to them.

"We have to keep working with them and show how to get more bodies in the box. We generally dominated the second half without chance after chance and great save after great save."

The victory lifted Boro up to fifth in the Championship table.

"Boro are a very good team," said Mowbray.

"Middlesbrough are as good as anyone in the league at their best. I watched them slice Luton Town, who were in the Premier League last season, to shreds. They scored five, it could have been 10. They did the same to Sheffield Wednesday in 20 minutes."