Coventry City booked their place in the Championship play-off final with a 1-0 victory against Middlesbrough in a tense affair at the Riverside.
The Sky Blues came out on top thanks to Gustavo Hamer’s second-half strike, the only goal of a hard-fought semi-final played across two legs. Coventry will now play Luton at Wembley on Saturday, May 27 with a place in the Premier League up for grabs.
Just five points separated the two sides over the 46-game regular season and there was little between them in 180 minutes of football, with clear cut chances at a premium. But Hamer kept his cool to fire home beyond Middlesbrough goalkeeper Zack Steffen - and two defenders on the line - just before the hour mark after City striker Viktor Gyokeres burst into the box.
It is heartbreak for Middlesbrough manager and former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick, who took over in October when the club were 21st. But Mark Robins’ Coventry are now just one game away from returning to English football’s top table after a 22-year absence.
Hamer, the Brazilian-born midfielder who represented the Netherlands at youth level, hit the bar with a brilliant free-kick which almost doubled Coventry’s lead before Midlesbrough’s Matt Crooks had a goal correctly ruled out for offside late on.
Five years ago Coventry were playing Luton in League Two. Next week the rejuvenated clubs will face off for a place in the Premier League and £200m of TV riches.
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Robins signed a new four year deal to stay as manager hours before kick off, and he has built a touch well-drilled defensive outfit, with the excellent Gyokeres leading the line alone and touches of class from Hamer, Jamie Allen and Ben Sheaf.
They will be a handful for Luton, and next season the Premier League will have an unexpected guest. Boro have ended the season with a whimper without a win in their last five games, and only two goals scored.
Their fans will hope that Carrick’s revival of the club, taking them from 21st to fourth, will continue next season. But the Championship will be stronger next season.
This was the third encounter between these two clubs in ten days, with three hours of football producing stalemate and just two goals. This was just as tight.
The Riverside Stadium was rocking like days of old and their noisy European campaigns under Steve McClaren. The same sort of magic was needed to overcome stubborn Coventry whose fans claimed the turf by hurling blue flares onto the pitch pre match.
After meandering to the season end with just two wins in nine games Boro lost their cutting edge. It took until the last touch of the first half for either side to muster a shot on target - Darragh Lenihan’s nodding into Ben Wilson’s arms.
Then Coventry woke up and exploited the first big opening of the match on 57 minutes. Boro left back Ryan Giles played a sloppy pass which was intercepted on the half way line and clipped forward by Ben Sheaf.
Gyokeres challenged Steffen who was well off his line and bundled the ball to Hamer, who shimmied and struck a brilliant shot into the top corner. Cameron Archer scooped over in the dying minutes and there was a late scramble that came to nothing.
Coventry seemed intent on fouling their way to the final as they dished out punishment to Boro’s players early on, before ref David Coote got his yellow card out in the first half.
It was a scrap, and City had the edge, soaking up pressure and winning with just 33pc possession and two shots on target.
MIDDLESBROUGH (4-2-3-1): Steffen 5; Smith 6 (Dijksteel 66, 5), McNair 5 (Crooks 88), Lenihan 6, Giles 5; Mowatt 5 (Barlaser 66, 5), Hackney 6; Forss 5 (Jones 66, 5), Akpom 5, McGree 6; Archer 5.
Subs: Roberts, Fry, Bola.
COVENTRY (3-5-2): Wilson 7; McNally 7, McFadzean 7 (Panzo 85), Doyle 7; Norton-Cuffy 7 (Dabo 79), Kelly 7, Sheaf 7 (Eccles 70, 7), Hamer 8, Bidwell 7; Allen 7 (Godden 79), Gyokeres 8.
Subs: Moore, Wilson-Esbrand, Maguire.
MoM: Hamer
Ref: David Coote 8
