Boro get welcome FA Cup lifeline

Middlesbrough 1 Coventry 0

The Premiership strugglers, who will travel to Preston next weekend, were ahead after 20 minutes through Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s ninth goal of the season, and were well in control when the half-time whistle sounded.

However, Coca-Cola Championship side Coventry set about their hosts with some relish after the break, and although they at times left themselves vulnerable at the back, they ensured an intensely difficult last 45 minutes for Steve McClaren and his under-fire troops.

Boro have found themselves under the spotlight in recent days but they left the pitch tonight, for once, with cheers rather than boos from a crowd of 14,131.

However, things might have been a little different had goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer not managed to cling to Stern John’s last-minute shot on the turn.

Hasselbaink is a goalscorer of proven quality, and he did not disappoint when the first real chance of the game came his way on 20 minutes.

The through-ball by Aiyegbeni Yakubu left him little to do, but the 33-year-old rounded goalkeeper Marton Fulop to finish left-footed.

The City fans were off their seats with 59 minutes gone when John rose unopposed in front of goal, but it was too high for him to do any damage. Four minutes later Doriva headed a McSheffrey corner on to the roof of his own net.

Yakubu might have calmed the nerves within two minutes if the accuracy of his shooting had been matched by the quality of his preparatory work.

Stuart Parnaby forced a good save from Fulop with a blistering 82nd-minute drive, but Schwarzer had to match him in the final minute before Robert Page blocked Maccarone’s injury-time effort on the line.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Pogatetz, Riggott, Southgate, Parnaby, Mendieta (Bates 81), Doriva, Rochemback, Taylor, Yakubu (Maccarone 71), Hasselbaink.

COVENTRY: Fulop, Whing (Morrell 85), Page, Williams, Hall, Scowcroft, Hutchison, Doyle, McSheffrey, Adebola, John.

Referee: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire).