MIDDLESBROUGH 1-0 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
Coventry City can held their heads high after going out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough.
City, who have never won in Teesside since Middlesbrough moved to their Riverside home, were without Dennis Wise who had a strained stomach muscle or will be the new boss of Derby or QPR depending on which rumour you believe.
For this fourth round replay,the Sky Blue Army were out in force with around 3,400 City fans taking the time and effort to get to the Riverside. The same could not be said of the home fans,many of whom boycotted the game and by the time kick off time arrived their numbers were an embarrassing ten thousand.
With thousands of balloons donated by the Sky Blue Trust flying around the away end, Andy Whing made a superb run down the right flank in the fourth minute but could not keep the ball in play on a pitch certainly not worthy of a Premiership club.
A bit of persistence by Gary McSheffrey won City a corner in the eleventh minute.
James Scowcroft was the first caution of the game in the 15th minute with a trip which Emmanuel Pogatetz made look worse than it was.
Like the first game, Gaizka Mendieta showed that his game consisted of what he could get away with. The former Valencia was committing foul after foul and was booed by the City support for it,but referee Martin Atkinson seemed oblivious to his shenanigans.
In the 19th minute,City were caught napping, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was allowed to nip in,round Fulop and stroke the ball into the net.
What City needed was a bit of sparkle but without Dennis Wise in midfield,the Sky Blues could not muster it and had to resort to sheer battling and trying to carve an opening through the home defence.
One good chance came in the 36th minute.McSheffrey charged down the left and crossed for Stern John who got in a header which Swarzer had to save.
Micky Adams brought on Claus Jorgensen for James Scowcroft at the start of the second half.
City kept battling away,although some of their passing let them down at times with Marcus Hall finding room down the left on a number of occasions.
The Coventry kid delivered a lovely ball over in the 51st minute but it just missed the head of Stern John.
With Taylor, Hutchison and Yakubu joining the list of bookings,City's best chance of snatching a draw came in the 71st minute. Again,it was Marcus Hall on the left who volleyed across the face of the goal,just missing the far post.
Middlesbrough might have added another late on but Robert Page cleared after Fulop who made a good couple of saves had been rounded.
On the final whistle,the City players were given a good ovation from the travelling support and our dreams of cup glory ended for another year.
HT MFC 1-0 CCFC
FT MFC 1-0 CCFC
ATT 14,131
Goal Jimmy Hasselbaink (19)
Booked Scowcroft,Taylor,Hutchison,Yakubu,Pogatetz
Team
Fulop,Whing (Morrell 84),Hall,Williams,Page,Scowcroft (Jorgensen 46),McSheffrey,John,Adebola,Hutchison,Doyle,
SNU Ince,Shaw
Middlesbrough
Swarzer,Riggott,Southgate,Hasselbaink (Maccarone 70), Rochemback,Pogatetz,Mendieta (Bates 80),Yakubu,Parnaby,Taylor, Doriva
Subs Jones,Viduka,Johnson
Coventry City can held their heads high after going out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough.
City, who have never won in Teesside since Middlesbrough moved to their Riverside home, were without Dennis Wise who had a strained stomach muscle or will be the new boss of Derby or QPR depending on which rumour you believe.
For this fourth round replay,the Sky Blue Army were out in force with around 3,400 City fans taking the time and effort to get to the Riverside. The same could not be said of the home fans,many of whom boycotted the game and by the time kick off time arrived their numbers were an embarrassing ten thousand.
With thousands of balloons donated by the Sky Blue Trust flying around the away end, Andy Whing made a superb run down the right flank in the fourth minute but could not keep the ball in play on a pitch certainly not worthy of a Premiership club.
A bit of persistence by Gary McSheffrey won City a corner in the eleventh minute.
James Scowcroft was the first caution of the game in the 15th minute with a trip which Emmanuel Pogatetz made look worse than it was.
Like the first game, Gaizka Mendieta showed that his game consisted of what he could get away with. The former Valencia was committing foul after foul and was booed by the City support for it,but referee Martin Atkinson seemed oblivious to his shenanigans.
In the 19th minute,City were caught napping, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was allowed to nip in,round Fulop and stroke the ball into the net.
What City needed was a bit of sparkle but without Dennis Wise in midfield,the Sky Blues could not muster it and had to resort to sheer battling and trying to carve an opening through the home defence.
One good chance came in the 36th minute.McSheffrey charged down the left and crossed for Stern John who got in a header which Swarzer had to save.
Micky Adams brought on Claus Jorgensen for James Scowcroft at the start of the second half.
City kept battling away,although some of their passing let them down at times with Marcus Hall finding room down the left on a number of occasions.
The Coventry kid delivered a lovely ball over in the 51st minute but it just missed the head of Stern John.
With Taylor, Hutchison and Yakubu joining the list of bookings,City's best chance of snatching a draw came in the 71st minute. Again,it was Marcus Hall on the left who volleyed across the face of the goal,just missing the far post.
Middlesbrough might have added another late on but Robert Page cleared after Fulop who made a good couple of saves had been rounded.
On the final whistle,the City players were given a good ovation from the travelling support and our dreams of cup glory ended for another year.
HT MFC 1-0 CCFC
FT MFC 1-0 CCFC
ATT 14,131
Goal Jimmy Hasselbaink (19)
Booked Scowcroft,Taylor,Hutchison,Yakubu,Pogatetz
Team
Fulop,Whing (Morrell 84),Hall,Williams,Page,Scowcroft (Jorgensen 46),McSheffrey,John,Adebola,Hutchison,Doyle,
SNU Ince,Shaw
Middlesbrough
Swarzer,Riggott,Southgate,Hasselbaink (Maccarone 70), Rochemback,Pogatetz,Mendieta (Bates 80),Yakubu,Parnaby,Taylor, Doriva
Subs Jones,Viduka,Johnson