After a week of turmoil and confusion, Middlesbrough moved into the Championship's automatic promotion places with a last-gasp victory over title rivals Hull City.

In the build-up to Friday night's game, there was plenty of focus on Aitor Karanka after the Spaniard was temporarily relieved of his duties following a dressing room bust-up last weekend.

However, Karanka was back in the hot seat and could be the man to lead Middlesbrough back to the Premier League for the first time since suffering relegation in 2009. The Spaniard was clearly overjoyed as Boro got back to winning ways against Steve Bruce's men in their most recent encounter.

Back in August, most Boro fans were quietly confident of their side's chances this season and they will certainly feel that fate is playing a favourable role for Karanka's men. Despite troubles in the dressing room, Boro are marching towards promotion and supporters are desperate for a return to England's top flight.

On current form, they stand a great chance of achieving their ultimate goal and with the likes of Stewart Downing, Jordan Rhodes and last-minute hero David Nugent in the squad, Boro have enough quality and talent in attacking areas to score their way back to the Premier League.

There's still plenty of points to be won and lost but the signs are positive for Middlesbrough right now. With a kind run-in, Karanka must be confident of securing automatic promotion at the very least - especially as that has been the main objective from the beginning of the campaign.

Having said that, the Spaniard will have one eye on the title, especially if they can pick up a crucial victory against current leaders Burnley on April 19th. When this article was produced, Boro were 3/1 in the Bet365 Championship betting market and, while they are still trailing behind Sean Dyche's Burnley, Karanka's side could profit if the Clarets slip up in the coming weeks.

While it would be foolish to claim that everything is suddenly fine and dandy at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough's rebelling stars may make their peace with Karanka for the sake of the bigger picture. If Boro earn promotion, there are no guarantees that the Spaniard will keep his job anyway, especially if he has lost the backing of the dressing room.

Some Middlesbrough supporters have criticised Karanka for his handling of Rhodes - who joined the club for £9 million in January. The Scotland international has spent plenty of time on the bench since moving to the Riverside and a portion of fans believe that Karanka wasn't necessarily on board with his transfer.

Nothing is settled just yet but Boro's victory over Hull sent out a huge statement to their fellow title rivals. Karanka may have personality clashes with some of Middlesbrough's squad but that doesn't mean they can't remain professional as they seek a return to the top flight. With a bit of luck, Boro could well achieve their ultimate goal of promotion - much to the delight of Karanka, the players and everyone involved.