Team
Westwood, Cranie, Clarke, Keogh, O'Halloran (Wood 70), Gunnarsson (McIndoe 85), Baker, Bell , Jutkiewicz, Platt (Eastwood 84) Subs Quirke,O'Donovan, Deegan, Cameron
Middlesbrough
Smith, Hoyte, Williams, Davies, Robson (Gibson (41), Smallwood (Flood 78), Thomson (Kink 64), Arca, Lita, Emnes. Subs Haas, Reach, Kink, Flood, Steele, Halliday,Gibson
HT MFC 1-1 CCFCFT MFC 2-1 CCFCATT 15,817Goals Lukas Jutkiewicz (10), Julio Arca (24), Tamo Kink (90)
Referee G.Ward Booked Arca, Wood
Man Of The Match Richard Keogh took all the votes in our car.
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Coventry City's run of never winning at the Riverside Stadium, continued as they went down to a last gasp 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough.
There were 392 City supporters who made our longest trip this season to Teesside, with City supporters coming from as far as Kent, Gloucestershire, Surrey, Cambridgeshire as well as Coventry and Warwickshire.
On a glorious day which was sunny but had a wind chill, especially for the City supporters out of the sun at the back of the stand , we saw a Sky Blues side without the injured Marlon King (or did not want to play at a former club if you want to believe that) and Chris Hussey who had flu.
The loss of King for whatever reason and Hussey who have both done well of late did not go down well with the City support and concern was expressed as to who would get the goals.
That question was answered in the tenth minute when Sammy Clingan got the ball in midfield and sprayed it to Clive Platt. The former Colchester man flicked the ball over and there was LUKAS JUTKIEWICZ at the far post to stick out his left and prod the ball home from close range and saw our celebrations caused the back of the stand to shake such was their raucousness.
Platt hit the side netting the 21st minute from a Westwood long ball forward but in the 24th minute, the City keeper was picking the ball out of the net when JULIO ARCA was allowed as much space and time as he wanted to get in a low drive from twenty yards which beat Westwood on his right and levelled the match.
A big roar from both sets of fans saw the tempo of the game lifted and this end of season game come to life once more.Jutkiewicz had two shots against a Boro side who had Emnes and Lita wasting chances thanks to the standard of their passing.
Middlesbrough had too much of the ball, thanks to the rigiidity of the diamond formation in midfield, putting pressure on the full backs but Keogh who made a cracking block in the 37th minute, was leading the defence in clearing the danger.
David Bell fired at the keeper Paul Smith who wass being slated by some of the City supporters for not being a good fashion designer five minutes into the second half.
Whilst there may have been plenty of effort from the City players, today, they clearly lacked the ability to take the game to Middlesbrough who made the most of lack of match practice that Stephen O'Halloran has as well as the likes of Bell and Baker not adding to the steel in midfield supplied by Clingan and Gunnarsson.
The closest City came to scoring a second was firstly on the hour mark when Richard Keogh got in a header from a corner won by Gunnarsson, that just missed Smith's left hand post by inches.
Then ten minutes later after Westwood had made a brave block from Emnes, Jordan Clarke hit the post after ghosting in from the right. The City supporters also appealed for handball when the ball came back into play off the post but nothing was given.
With nine minutes to go, the Middlesbrough fans were celebrating when they had the ball in the net. Thankfully, that was ruled out for offside.
But just as we went into the 90th minute, City were sent to their first defeat in six matches when Julio Arca crossed from the left and TAMO KINK smashed the ball in to the net at the far post to make it City's 1400 defeat in Football League matches.
Picture copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/KM