It truly was a magnificent feat to have the stadium built and ready in under a year, taking only 11 months to build, it now stands as a symbol to its proud supporters.
The first game to be played was against Chelsea. The stadium full to its 30,000 capacity was a sea of red and white, and with the chants of "come on Boro" the team never looked like failing its supporters, and it was
Craig Hignett who made history, scoring the very first goal in the Riverside. Middlesbrough dominated the game leaving the final score 2 - 0 after 90 minutes. 
The stadium is an excellent example of the wonders of modern technology. Built into two sections, the main stand standing seperate, while the rest of the stadium is built into a hore-shoe shape (for luck apparently), all which surrounds the undersoil heated pitch. Built to house 30,000 supporters, it was realised this year that this just isn`t enough and plans are already going ahead to extend the seating capacity by a further 5,000, taking the overall capacity eventually up to 35,000.
If of course, like some supporters, sitting in your seat for 90 minutes is too much for you then the Riverside offers the option of watching the match live from a T.V screen while supping a pint. Either way you still get the option of being able to watch the Boro, either in the extatic atmosphere of 30,000 supporters or in a slightly more tranquil environment at the screen.