It has been a frustrating 2017/18 campaign for Rudy Gestede at Middlesbrough, with the striker struggling to find his best form in the Sky Bet Championship and scoring just one league goal as Boro’s play-off push continues to falter.

Tony Pulis, appointed at the Riverside Stadium in late 2017, has handed Gestede a fresh first-team opportunity, with the 29-year-old featuring regularly under his new manager in recent weeks.

However, Gestede put his side at a disadvantage last weekend against Norwich City, picking up a first-half red card following a lunging challenge on Grant Hanley – subsequently receiving a three-match ban.

Boro lodged an appeal to the FA over that suspension, which the governing body have agreed to overturn, much to the delight of the club and Gestede, who took to Twitter to express his delight and deliver a message to the club’s supporters, who had been critical of him.

Following Gestede’s bullish message, Boro’s fans moved to rally around their underperforming striker…