Bates agreed a new three-year deal with Boro in June

Middlesbrough utility player Matthew Bates has revealed a call from chairman Steve Gibson had a huge influence on his decision to stay with the club.

After relegation to the Championship, Bates was expected to move on but he said Gibson's enthusiasm helped convince him to sign a three-year deal.

"He expressed how much he loves the club," he told BBC Tees.

"He told he would do everything in his power to get us back up and that was the main thing."

The Stockton-born 22-year-old has made just 36 league appearances for Boro since graduating from the club's academy to make his debut against Manchester City in December 2004.

Meanwhile, the Boro squad returned to training a fortnight ago and have since been bolstered by two new recruits in the shape of winger Mark Yeates and goalkeeper Danny Coyle.

And Bates feels the camaraderie and closeness within the squad remains high, despite the agony of the drop last season.

"It was important to get a good break, rest the legs, rest the brain and the lungs and come back refreshed and ready to go again," he added.

"It's a buoyant mood, everybody's confident we can have a good season and we've brought a few players in.

"Mark Yeates has come in and he scored a lot of goals from midfield last year, and in the Championship the year before with Colchester.

"Things are looking right, we need a few more faces in and I'm sure a few might go again as well so things might look difficult before the start of the season."

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