Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka has offered congratulations to Watford and Bournemouth for beating his side to promotion to the Premier League.
The Hornets claimed victory over Brighton & Hove Albion last week to earn promotion to the top flight as a result of the North-East outfit's defeat to Fulham, while Eddie Howe's men all but secured their place in the Premier League following their win over Bolton Wanderers on Monday.
Karanka told reporters: "The season has been amazing for us and the players have been excellent throughout. They have given their best every single minute.
"We weren't ready to get promoted as this stage of the season because there were two teams better than us. I would like to congratulate both managers because they were better than us, and now we have to fight for our chance."
Middlesbrough play Brighton in the final game of the season before the start of their playoff campaign.
