MATTHEW Bates revealed he is excited to be part of the new era at Middlesbrough and hopes the arrival of Tony Mowbray will bring a great atmosphere back to the Riverside.

Bottom club Bristol City travel to Teesside for Mowbray’s first game in charge with Boro just two points ahead of their opponents.

Attendances at the Riverside have been well below par after a poor start to the season but the Boro faithful are likely to turn out in numbers to mark the start of a new era at the club and Bates admits it will give the players a massive lift.

“It will be brilliant. I’ve spoken to a lot of people and friends and everybody I know seems to be going to the game,’’ he revealed.

“I’ve had more texts and calls asking for tickets than I normally get.

“It would be great to get a good atmosphere going and I’m sure it will lift the players and the management.

“We are looking for three points, and with two home games it couldn’t be a better start for the manager to come into.

“Hopefully there will be a good atmosphere and a great crowd.

“I’ve heard rumours of what the attendance could be and I’m hoping everyone comes along and gets behind the team and the new manager.”

Two wins in the last ten games have left Boro in the relegation zone, just two points above today’s opponents.

But Bates is hoping the side can take inspiration from other teams who have gone on to get promoted after disappointing starts in the past.

“There’s no hiding from the league position we’re in.

It’s not where we want to be or the fans want us to be – we’ve got to stick together and keep going and turn the results around,’’ he said.

“We’re only ten points off promotion and it’s still a massive season and there’s plenty of games still to play.

“If you pick up a couple of results you can turn the table around.

“I think a few years ago, Sunderland were bottom of the league after ten or 15 games and went on to get promoted, so we’ve got to take inspiration from that.

“We still see ourselves as promotion contenders and we’ve got to aim high to get to that position.

“It’s a big game. We’re in a bad situation but there’s still a massive chunk of the season to go.’’