Middlesbrough’s Premier League hopes have come to an end, at least for this year, after a 1-0 defeat at Wembley Stadium condemned the Teesside club to another season in the second tier.

Overall, Boro has had a successful season, although you can see why some members of the club believe otherwise at this point.

Boro were neck-and-neck with Coventry for top spot for much of the season, but as they slipped away from first place, their decline continued out of the automatic position and into the playoffs.

A 2-1 defeat against Southampton in the semi-finals appeared to end their season, but after the Saints were ejected for spying on Boro and confessing to doing so against other clubs, Boro were given another chance and claimed Southampton’s spot in the final on Saturday.

Unfortunately for Boro, a late winner from Oli McBurnie propelled the Tigers to the top level, which will have far-reaching implications for the futures of other Middlesbrough players, including Hayden Hackney, who has almost definitely played his final game for the club.

What Hayden Hackney did when Middlesbrough lost to Hull City in the play-off final

Hackney, 23, has worked his way up through Boro’s ranks to the first squad, and his stock has risen enormously in recent years, making him the club’s most valuable asset.

Hackney is an England youth international whose exploits in the middle of the field for Boro have piqued the interest of various Premier League clubs, notably Manchester United, where his links with previous manager Michael Carrick could lead to a summer transfer.

Last summer, Ipswich Town accepted a £20 million deal, but Hackney chose to stay on Teesside rather than transfer to Portman Road. His time at the club is almost certainly ended, and he appears to be aware of this.

Hackney, who came on as a late replacement in their 1-0 loss on Saturday after only recently returning from injury, was visibly angry after the final whistle and made his way around the Boro fans to applaud their support.

Hackney has played his 154th and final game for his boyhood club, and with only 12 months left on his current contract, it appears doubtful that he will sign new terms at the Riverside.

The Englishman has been a Premier League player in waiting for some time, and Boro’s only chance of keeping him was to gain promotion. Now since that is no longer an option, it appears that he was bidding his goodbyes to the fans who have supported him throughout the years.

It isn’t the storybook ending he or Middlesbrough supporters had hoped for, but he will undoubtedly go on good terms, knowing he gave his best every time he put on the red shirt.

Kim Hellberg will be disappointed to lose Hayden Hackney after Middlesbrough missed out on the Premier League.

Since taking over for Rob Edwards at the Riverside, Hellberg has helped Boro produce some of the most appealing football in the Championship.

His penchant for possession and focus on pushing the ball into the box, while enabling full-backs to play in far more advanced positions, demonstrates a level of tactical nous that the second tier is not used to seeing.

Unfortunately, despite dominating games more frequently than not, Boro were unable to translate their dominance into victory on a consistent basis, and as a result, they were unable to cross the finish line.

Hackney’s absence in the later stages of the season was very damaging, and if he had been available, things could have turned out differently.

However, Hellberg must prepare for the possibility that Boro will lose Hackney, as the writing appears to be on the wall.