BBC Radio Tees launches a seven‑episode series revisiting Middlesbrough’s 20‑year‑old UEFA Cup adventure. The club earned its first truly European spot after winning the 2004 League Cup, a triumph that propelled the Riverside into the competition’s last‑16 and a top‑seven Premier League finish in 2005. The climax arrived in May 2006, when Boro faced Sevilla in Eindhoven.

Former stars recall the drama that defined those two seasons. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink proudly cites his opening goal against Banik Ostrava, while Mark Viduka added two in a 3‑0 win. Massimo Maccarone sealed the semi‑final comeback versus Steaua and the quarter‑final thriller against Basel, moments he still watches on YouTube. Their exploits cemented Boro’s place in European memory.

The programme, titled *A Small Town In Europe*, premieres on 15 June via BBC Sounds, featuring insights from Steve McClaren, Steve Gibson and the squad that turned a modest town into a continental contender. By chronicling the triumphs and heartbreak, the series offers fans a record of the most celebrated chapter in Middlesbrough history. It underscores how a cup win can reshape a club’s identity for a generation.