Carrick’s confident Boro will find spark
NOT even fireworks in the early hours could disturb Michael Carrick’s composure as he sets his sights on leading Middlesbrough up.
Carrick and his players were disturbed at 1am by the pyrotechnics outside the team hotel, which could have affected their approach to the noon kick- off in the first leg of their play- off semi-final against Coventry. It is unclear whether Sky Blues fans were responsible.
‘I woke up, checked the clock, saw it was 1am and had a chuckle to myself,’ Carrick said. ‘I shut my eyes and went back to sleep. We didn’t make a big deal of it.’
Carrick’s men were strangely wasteful in front of goal but they have scored in every home game during his tenure and despite Coventry’s excellent organisation, they will be confident of maintaining that streak in Wednesday’s second leg at the Riverside Stadium, to book a place in the final at Wembley.
Carrick and Coventry counterpart Mark Robins are significant figures in Manchester United’s history. Robins’ goals in United’s 1990 FA Cup-winning campaign are widely credited with saving Sir Alex Ferguson’s job, and Carrick won 18 trophies at the club. Yet leading their teams to promotion would equal anything they achieved at United.
Robins was in charge when Coventry won the League Two play- offs five years ago, while Boro were a point above the bottom three when Carrick took over last October.
Boro had far more of the ball but struggled to break down Coventry’s solid structure. Top scorer Chuba Akpom had an effort pushed on to a post early on and also headed wide soon after half-time, while Isaiah Jones had a goal ruled out for offside. Gustavo Hamer was outstanding in midfield for the home side, but their 21- goal centre forward Viktor Gyokeres was subdued, to ensure a quiet afternoon for Boro keeper Zack Steffen.
‘I said to the players we are still in there shouting and that’s the big thing,’ said Robins. ‘Boro have the stronger squad, they’re favourites to go up and rightly so. Let’s see how we recover.’
With the energy around the stadium, it was a surprise to see Coventry start so cautiously, even though a conservative approach has served them well throughout the campaign.
Fearful of granting Cameron Archer space behind their defence, the Sky Blues sat deep and allowed Boro to click into their passing rhythm. It nearly produced an early goal, as Riley McGree released Akpom and Ben Wilson got a vital touch on the forward’s finish, to divert the ball on to the woodwork. Akpom is comfortably the division’s top scorer, with 28 goals, so this was a let-off for Coventry.
Boro continued to dominate, bewildering the home side with their movement, though Robins’ men kept their shape effectively and Hamer was doing the work of two players. Up front, however, Gyokeres was struggling to make an impression on Boro centre backs Paddy McNair and Darragh Lenihan, who also shackled Matty Godden effectively.
Coventry did not aim at goal until just before the half-hour, when Liam Kelly headed Jake Bidwell’s corner wide. Moments later, Kelly had a shot blocked after latching on to Gyokeres’ lay-off. At the other end, Callum Doyle recovered well to deny Jones after his wayward pass had let Boro in, before Jones sneaked inside Bidwell to slot in Alex Mowatt’s pass, only for the flag to go up for offside.
Having concentrated so hard at the back before the break, Coventry switched off briefly, allowing Akpom to drift into space and head McGree’s cross wide from eight yards.
COVENTRY (3-5-2): Wilson 7; McNally 7, McFazdean 7, Doyle 6.5; Norton-Cuffy 7, HAMER 8.5, Kelly 6, Eccles 6 (Allen 66, 6), Bidwell 6.5; Godden 5, Gyokeres 5. Manager: Mark Robins 6.5. MIDDLESBROUGH (4-2-3-1): Steffen 6; Smith 7, McNair 8, Lenihan 8, Giles 6; Hackney 7, Mowatt 7; Jones 6.5 (Forss 68, 6), Akpom 5, McGree 7.5; Archer 5 (Crooks 83). Booked: Akpom. Manager: Michael Carrick 6.5. Referee: Robert Madley 5. Att: 28,874.