"Coventry, pace-setters for the majority of the season, had won just four league games since the end of November. But Haji Wright hit a timely hat-trick as Coventry again traded places with Middlesbrough, whose six-game winning run came to an abrupt halt. Riley McGree pulled a goal back midway through the second half but from the restart Boro conceded a penalty that allowed Wright to claim the match ball."
"There was a big-game energy in the moments before kick-off: fireworks shooting into the sky, pyrotechnics sparkling and the Enemy, the Coventry band whose We'll Live and Die in These Towns has evolved into a club anthem, blaring. The match itself was entertaining from the first whistle, Tommy Conway bounding into Joel Latibeaudiere after Coventry got things under way on halfway and Wright sent a header against a post inside 99 seconds, rising above Luke Ayling to flick Tatsuhiro Sakamoto's floated cross towards goal."
"Coventry's lead may be a single point but this felt a significant victory psychologically as much as anything their having taken just 16 points from the previous available 39. For Kim Hellberg, the Boro head coach who grew up in Sweden idolising Lampard, this was disappointing but not a disaster. When he took charge in November, Boro trailed Coventry by 10 points. On this evidence, Boro look determined to run them close as the pair fight for automatic promotion in the remaining 14 matches."
Coventry returned to the top of the Championship after a crucial victory over Middlesbrough, with Haji Wright scoring a hat-trick that halted Boro's six-game winning streak. Riley McGree pulled one back, but a restart penalty allowed Wright to complete his match ball. Coventry had taken only 16 points from the previous 39 and had won just four league games since November, so the result provided important confidence. Middlesbrough, coached by Kim Hellberg since November, remain within reach after narrowing a previous 10-point gap. The fixture featured a charged pre-match atmosphere and an entertaining, breathless contest from the first whistle.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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