was a successful one for Tuncay, Middlesbrough were relegated to the Championship after a terrible season, which saw them create a new club-record, and match a League record of 12 consecutive away defeats. Tuncay had expressed his desire to continue playing in the Premier League. However, he began the 2009–10 season as a Boro player and played in 3 matches in the Championship, coming on as a substitute in all 3 games. He scored two goals in the process: the third goal in a 3–0 victory away to Swansea City in the second league game of the season, and the following week, scored the first goal in a 2–0 victory against Doncaster Rovers, scoring within 60 seconds of coming on. He turned down the chance to move abroad, after German Bundesliga clubs Wolfsburg and Stuttgart and Spanish La Liga side Villareal making offers for him, in favour of staying in England. Prior to the end of the transfer window, he left Middlesbrough and joined Premier League side Stoke City. 2007–08 season Tuncay took time to settle in the Premier League. He went 12 league games without a goal but then scored three in three games. The first was a headed goal from a Luke Young cross, on 1 December 2007 in a 1–1 draw against Reading. The second, the following week, was the winner in a 2–1 victory over Arsenal. His third, in a 1–0 victory over Derby County, was a superb volley from a Stewart Downing cross which won the BBC Match of the Day Goal of the Month award for December 2007, and was later nominated for Goal of the Season. On 29 December 2007, he scored his fourth goal in Boro's 1–0 away victory against Portsmouth which was the first time in 54 years that Middlesbrough had won at Fratton Park in the top flight. His next goal was a seventh-minute header against Liverpool to give Middlesbrough the lead. However, a Fernando Torres hattrick, meant Middlesbrough lost 3–2 at Anfield. On the 31st match day of the season he again scored the winning goal against Derby County in a match that ended 1–0. Tuncay then scored two goals against Sunderland and Portsmouth later on in the season to take his tally to eight goals for the season. In his first season for Middlesbrough he was their second leading goal scorer behind Stewart Downing with nine. 2008–09 season