AITOR KARANKA is dreaming of filling the Riverside Stadium again – just as Jose Mourinho described to him when he first took over on Teesside almost a year ago.

Karanka is trying to steer Boro back to the Premier League and yesterday he handed promising winger Adam Reach a new four-and-a-half year contract.

In nine days it will be exactly 12 months since the Spaniard succeeded Tony Mowbray and he now regards his squad as genuine promotion contenders.

Sealing a return to the Premier League is Karanka’s primary objective and a victory over Norwich City tonight could see Boro hit top spot in the Championship.

That would bring its own pressures, but the former Real Madrid man thinks it could boost the chances of attendances increasing between now and May.

Mourinho was quick to remind Karanka of the atmosphere created inside the Riverside in February 2006 when more than 30,000 witnessed Fabio Rochemback, Stewart Downing and Ayegbeni Yakubu score in a 3-0 win over Chelsea.

After years of declining numbers, there has been a slight increase for the last two home games with Watford and Fulham and the hope is that the upward trend will continue tonight even though Norwich are unlikely to bring a large following.

“It takes time to get them back,” said Karanka. “I think the people have had six years of the club not going well and it's not comfortable for the people to go.

“Now I think we have changed, not a lot of things, but things, and people are happier and are starting again to believe in the team, believe in the possibility to get promotion and they are going step by step.

“There were 14,000 before and for the last game against Watford there were 17,000. The next games I hope for 18 or 19 and then at the end of the season, if we are in this position, we can play with a full stadium.

“Everybody reminds me of when it was full. One person who reminds me is Jose because his worst defeat was here and he always reminds me of how difficult it was to play here and we have to try to get again the same intensity, the same crowd at the stadium.”

Mourinho slated Chelsea’s fans for describing the match against QPR on Saturday as ‘like playing in an empty stadium’. In the past he was critical of the Real Madrid supporters at the Bernabeu by stating that they were ‘cold’.

Karanka, the Portuguese’s former assistant, knows exactly what his friend is like and believes he is right to demand more from a club’s support, so it would be no surprise to hear the Boro boss go down that route in the future if he feels he needs to.

“Jose demands the best from himself, the players, his staff and the crowd,” said Karanka. “He wants the best for everybody. He is not criticising and he is demanding the support for his players. The manager demands the best from everybody.

“When he said things about Madrid fans, the supporters understood. Sometimes when things are going well, like at Chelsea, people are more confident and perhaps more relaxed. Jose is never relaxed.

“He wants to work, to be better, and every single day has to be better than the last day. He demands the best from everybody. I am lucky here because our crowd is perfect for us at the moment.

“Our crowd needed a change to results and the way we played. Now they are more excited about the future. Every single day there are more people at the Riverside.

“Away from home the support is always incredible. If we keep going in the same way then we will bring more people to the stadium. A lot of people need a little bit of a push to believe again in the team.”

Karanka will tonight be able to call on Albert Adomah if he wishes. Adomah was a late withdrawal from the team which won at Rotherham because of illness and his replacement, Yanic Wildschut, turned in a man of the match display.

Whoever plays on the right is unlikely to affect Reach’s position on the opposite flank. The 21-year-old has been one of the team’s best players this season and was yesterday rewarded with a deal which keeps him at the Riverside until the summer of 2019.

Karanka, who has no fresh injury concerns ahead of facing the sixth-placed Canaries, said: “It’s very good for Adam and it’s very good for the team. It’s important for him to a have a contract he deserves. He has done well this season. He’s improved every week. He’s good with the ball, he’s powerful, and he’s very good tactically.

“Reachy has fought for his spot, he’s been out on loan, and now he’s in the first team, and he deserves it. This contract is good for him and for the team. He’s a good player and a very good lad. He is a great example for everyone.”

MIDDLESBROUGH: Konstantopoulos; Nsue, Ayala, Omeruo, Friend; Wildschut, Clayton, Leadbitter, Reach; Bamford, Kike.

NORWICH CITY: Ruddy; Olsson, Turner, Martin, Whittaker; O’Neil, Tettey; Redmond, Howson, Lafferty; Jerome.