Date:21 Jan 2012
Kick-off:15:00
Venue:Ricoh Arena
Attendance:14,112

McSheffrey (35) Nimely (56)
Matthew Bates - og (63)
McDonald (65)

Goal!

Live Commentary

94mins Effort on goal by Freddy Eastwood from inside the penalty area goes harmlessly over the bar.

93mins A cross is delivered by Scott McDonald.

92mins Foul by Gary McSheffrey on Scott McDonald, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Faris Haroun.

91mins Unfair challenge on Sammy Clingan by Julio Arca results in a free kick. Joe Murphy takes the direct free kick. Julio Arca is sent off by the referee for professional foul.

89mins Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Marvin Emnes by Martin Cranie. Direct free kick taken by Marvin Emnes.

89mins Floated corner taken from the left by-line by Sammy Clingan.

88mins David Bell takes a shot. Tony McMahon gets a block in.

88mins Cyrus Christie takes a shot. Save made by Danny Coyne.

87mins Corner taken by Sammy Clingan from the right by-line played to the near post, Richard Smallwood makes a clearance.

86mins Alex Nimely takes a shot. Save made by Danny Coyne.

84mins Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Alex Nimely by Stephen McManus. Free kick taken by Hermann Hreidarsson.

83mins Short corner worked by Sammy Clingan.

82mins Tony McMahon challenges Freddy Eastwood unfairly and gives away a free kick. Hermann Hreidarsson takes the free kick.

82mins The ball is swung over by Barry Robson.

81mins Centre by Tony McMahon, clearance by Cyrus Christie.

80mins Corner from the right by-line taken by Sammy Clingan, clearance made by Matthew Bates.

79mins The assistant referee signals for offside against Martin Cranie. Direct free kick taken by Danny Coyne.

78mins Freddy Eastwood on for Clive Platt.

78mins Centre by Cyrus Christie.

77mins Centre by Cyrus Christie, Tony McMahon makes a clearance.

76mins Tony McMahon crosses the ball.

73mins Hermann Hreidarsson gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Richard Smallwood. Tony McMahon takes the direct free kick. Hermann Hreidarsson is shown a yellow card.

72mins Gary McSheffrey takes a shot. Joe Murphy makes a fantastic save.

72mins Gary McSheffrey challenges Tony McMahon unfairly and gives away a free kick. Tony McMahon restarts play with the free kick.

71mins Richard Smallwood produces a left-footed shot from just outside the penalty box that misses to the left of the target.

71mins Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Richard Smallwood by Richard Keogh. Richard Smallwood restarts play with the free kick.

69mins Tony McMahon replaces Justin Hoyte. Rhys Williams leaves the field to be replaced by Richard Smallwood.

68mins Stephen McManus is brought on as a substitute for Joe Bennett.

68mins The ball is swung over by Gary McSheffrey, clearance by Matthew Bates.

68mins Gary McSheffrey delivers the ball, Matthew Bates gets a block in.

67mins A cross is delivered by Scott McDonald, Joe Murphy makes a save.

66mins Scott McDonald sends in a cross.

66mins Scott McDonald takes a shot. Save by Joe Murphy.

65mins The ball is crossed by Marvin Emnes, Scott McDonald grabs a headed goal from close in. Coventry 3-1 Middlesbrough.Assist by Marvin Emnes.

63mins Shot from just outside the penalty box by Justin Hoyte misses to the left of the target.

61mins An own goal is conceded by Matthew Bates. Coventry 3-0 Middlesbrough.

60mins The ball is crossed by Cyrus Christie, Matthew Bates manages to make a clearance.

59mins Corner taken right-footed by Sammy Clingan.

59mins David Bell sends in a cross, Justin Hoyte manages to make a clearance.

57mins Foul by Barry Robson on David Bell, free kick awarded. Richard Keogh takes the direct free kick. The referee cautions Barry Robson for unsporting behaviour.

57mins A cross is delivered by Justin Hoyte, clearance made by Conor Thomas.

56mins Alex Nimely finds the back of the net with a headed goal from inside the penalty area. Coventry 2-0 Middlesbrough.

55mins Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Gary McSheffrey by Rhys Williams. Rhys Williams shown a yellow card. Gary McSheffrey delivers the ball from the free kick left-footed from right wing, clearance by Matthew Bates.

54mins Clive Platt challenges Faris Haroun unfairly and gives away a free kick. Justin Hoyte takes the free kick.

53mins Sammy Clingan gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Faris Haroun. Barry Robson restarts play with the free kick.

53mins Sammy Clingan takes the floated corner, clearance made by Matthew Bates.

52mins David Bell takes a shot. Rhys Williams gets a block in.

49mins David Bell delivers the ball, Rhys Williams manages to make a clearance.

48mins Barry Robson produces a left-footed shot from just outside the box that misses to the right of the goal.

48mins Scott McDonald fouled by Martin Cranie, the ref awards a free kick. Barry Robson restarts play with the free kick.

48mins Effort from deep inside the area by David Bell misses to the right of the goal.

47mins Alex Nimely takes a shot. Blocked by Rhys Williams.

46mins Gary McSheffrey sends in a cross.

45mins Floated corner taken from the right by-line by Sammy Clingan.

45mins Alex Nimely crosses the ball, blocked by Rhys Williams.

45mins David Bell is brought on as a substitute for Gary Deegan.

45mins Corner taken by Barry Robson from the left by-line.

45mins Joe Bennett takes a shot. Save by Joe Murphy.

44mins Inswinging corner taken left-footed by Barry Robson from the right by-line to the near post, Sammy Clingan manages to make a clearance.

44mins Joe Bennett delivers the ball, Richard Keogh gets a block in.

43mins Hermann Hreidarsson sends in a cross, save by Danny Coyne.

41mins Gary Deegan gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Julio Arca. Gary Deegan goes into the book for unsporting behaviour. Julio Arca takes the free kick.

40mins Gary McSheffrey challenges Scott McDonald unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Rhys Williams.

38mins Kevin Thomson gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Gary McSheffrey. Direct free kick taken by Martin Cranie. Kevin Thomson sent from the field by the ref for second bookable offence.

37mins Centre by Justin Hoyte, Richard Keogh makes a clearance.

37mins Gary McSheffrey challenges Justin Hoyte unfairly and gives away a free kick. Kevin Thomson takes the direct free kick.

35mins A goal is scored by Gary McSheffrey from deep inside the penalty box to the bottom right corner of the goal. Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough.Assist by Alex Nimely.

34mins Alex Nimely challenges Rhys Williams unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Danny Coyne.

33mins Unfair challenge on Conor Thomas by Julio Arca results in a free kick. Free kick crossed right-footed by Sammy Clingan.

29mins Corner taken by Barry Robson from the left by-line.

28mins Kevin Thomson concedes a free kick for a foul on Cyrus Christie. Sammy Clingan takes the direct free kick. Booking for Kevin Thomson.

26mins The ball is delivered by Barry Robson.

25mins Julio Arca delivers the ball, blocked by Gary Deegan.

24mins Barry Robson takes a short corner.

24mins Corner taken left-footed by Barry Robson from the right by-line, clearance by Sammy Clingan.

23mins Joe Bennett takes a shot. Save by Joe Murphy.

22mins The ball is sent over by Scott McDonald, Martin Cranie makes a clearance.

22mins The ball is crossed by Richard Keogh, Matthew Bates manages to make a clearance.

20mins The ball is swung over by Julio Arca.

19mins Floated corner taken by Sammy Clingan.

18mins A cross is delivered by Gary McSheffrey, Matthew Bates makes a clearance.

16mins Barry Robson takes the inswinging corner, clearance made by Sammy Clingan.

16mins The ball is delivered by Rhys Williams, clearance made by Conor Thomas.

16mins Corner taken by Barry Robson from the left by-line.

15mins The ball is sent over by Faris Haroun, blocked by Richard Keogh.

13mins Gary McSheffrey fouled by Faris Haroun, the ref awards a free kick. Direct effort from the free kick comes in from Sammy Clingan, save made by Danny Coyne.

12mins Corner from the left by-line taken by Barry Robson, clearance made by Hermann Hreidarsson.

11mins Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Sammy Clingan.

11mins Centre by Alex Nimely, blocked by Matthew Bates.

10mins Gary McSheffrey produces a right-footed shot from just outside the box that misses to the right of the target.

9mins The ball is swung over by Cyrus Christie, save made by Danny Coyne.

8mins Scott McDonald takes a shot. Joe Murphy makes a fantastic save.

7mins Barry Robson fouled by Sammy Clingan, the ref awards a free kick. The free kick is delivered left-footed by Barry Robson from left wing, Richard Keogh makes a clearance.

6mins Julio Arca takes a shot from just outside the penalty area which clears the crossbar.

4mins Outswinging corner taken by Barry Robson from the left by-line, Clive Platt manages to make a clearance.

4mins Marvin Emnes takes a shot. Richard Keogh gets a block in.

3mins Scott McDonald takes a shot. Blocked by Martin Cranie.

1mins Shot by Scott McDonald. Save by Joe Murphy.

A cross is delivered by Joe Bennett.

Match Preview

Double debut for Sky Blues Coventry are set to hand debuts to new signings Hermann Hreidarsson and Alex Nimely. Hreidarsson has this week arrived on a permanent deal from Portsmouth and is a welcome addition at left-back, where City have been struggling of late with Chris Hussey (ankle) and Richard Wood (groin) sidelined. Striker Nimely is also likely to get the nod up front for the goal-shy Sky Blues following his loan arrival from Manchester City. Fellow forward Freddy Eastwood, who only forced his way back into the reckoning in last weekend's 1-0 defeat at Derby, is a doubt with a calf problem. Defender James McPake should be okay having been forced off in the second half against the Rams complaining of cramp, but striker Cody McDonald (knee) continues to miss out. An agreement between Coventry and Middlesbrough prevents Lukas Jutkiewicz from facing his old club, with the striker having bagged nine goals this season for City prior to his move to the north-east last weekend. Scotland international Barry Robson will return from suspension for Coventry after serving a two-game ban for reaching 10 bookings for the season. But manager Tony Mowbray will hope goalkeeper Jason Steele recovers from a thigh problem with Danny Coyne struggling with a calf strain and youngster Connor Ripley, who started against Burnley last weekend, on standby once again. Striker Bart Ogbeche is expected to be sidelined until the end of the month with a hamstring injury, while midfielder Nicky Bailey continues his recovery from medial ligament damage.

Formation:41212Manager: Andy Thorn

Coventry

Formation: 352Manager: Tony Mowbray

Middlesbrough

Joe Murphy
Cyrus Christie
Richard Keogh
Martin Cranie
Hermann Hreidarsson
Sammy Clingan
Conor Thomas
Gary Deegan
Gary McSheffrey
Alex Nimely
Clive Platt
SUBS
Chris Dunn
David Bell
Carl Baker
Freddy Eastwood
Richard Wood

Home

Away

Danny Coyne
Joe Bennett
Matthew Bates
Rhys Williams
Justin Hoyte
Kevin Thomson
Faris Haroun
Barry Robson
Julio Arca
Scott McDonald
Marvin Emnes
SUBS
Connor Ripley
Stephen McManus
Malaury Martin
Tony McMahon
Richard Smallwood

Match Report

Nimely downs Boro An inspirational performance from debutant Alex Nimely helped basement club Coventry to a 3-1 victory over nine-man Middlesbrough who suffered their third successive league defeat. The on-loan Nimely, who spent the first half of the season with Middlesbrough, set up Gary McSheffrey for the game's opening goal and added a second early in the second half after Kevin Thomson had been sent off. Middlesbrough captain Matthew Bates then scored at the wrong end after a clever cross from Coventry substitute David Bell. Scott McDonald pulled one back for the visitors who made three quick substitutions to try and turn the game in their favour. But the hosts held on with Boro winger Julio Arca seeing red in the closing stages for a two-footed lunge on Sammy Clingan. Middlesbrough's new signing Lukas Jutkiewicz was denied the chance to face his former employers due to an agreement between the two clubs. But fellow striker McDonald was presented with two glorious opportunities inside the opening nine minutes. He latched onto a mistake from Sammy Clingan only to volley straight at Joe Murphy before the Sky Blues stopper produced a magnificent save to deny the same player moments later. Murphy continued to impress as another flowing Middlesbrough move culminated in a Joe Bennett drive which was tipped over by the Republic of Ireland international. The dynamics of the game then shifted significantly when the hosts broke the deadlock in the 36th minute as Nimely fed McSheffrey to slot home from inside the area. The visitors were reduced to 10 men moments later when Thomson, who had been harshly booked just 11 minutes earlier for bringing down Cyrus Christie, was shown a second yellow card. The midfielder could have no complaints over his second caution as he flew in with his studs showing to bring down goalscorer McSheffrey. The game threatened to boil over in the aftermath of Thomson's dismissal and that prompted Coventry boss Andy Thorn to substitute Gary Deegan, on a yellow card, for Bell at half-time. Nimely, making his first appearance since joining on loan from Manchester City, failed to score during his time with Boro but he headed home 57 minutes into his Coventry career. Boro felt the ball had not crossed the line as a defender hooked it clear but the assistant referee was perfectly placed to award the goal. Nimely was involved in the third goal seven minutes later as he released Bell out wide and his first time cross was touched in by Bates with Clive Platt in close pursuit. Boro responded instantly when Marvin Emnes' driven cross was nodded in by McDonald and Mowbray attempted to rally his troops with a triple change. But Coventry used their extra man advantage to close out the game as Middlesbrough's dismal afternoon was completed in stoppage time when Arca earned their second red card.

Form Guide

LLWWLL Coventry VS Middlesbrough WWWDLL

Last Meetings

Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Coventry 27/08/2011 Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Coventry 25/04/2011 Coventry 1 - 0 Middlesbrough 04/12/2010 Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Coventry 24/04/2010 Coventry 2 - 2 Middlesbrough 26/09/2009 Coventry 2 - 1 Middlesbrough 30/04/1966

Top Scorers

Coventry C Platt 2 G McSheffrey 2 G Deegan 2 C Baker 1 S Clingan 1 R Wood 1 C McDonald 1 Middlesbrough S McDonald 7 M Emnes 7 B Robson 5 F Haroun 2 R Williams 2 M Martin 2 B Ogbeche 1 N Bailey 1 M Bates 1 J Bennett 1

Goals

Coventry Total goals 55 Goals per game 20 2 (For) 3 (Against) Period 0-10 mins (For) 3 (Against) Period 11-20 mins (For) 2 (Against) Period 21-30 mins 3 (For) 3 (Against) Period 31-40 mins 2 (For) 2 (Against) Period 41-50 mins 5 (For) 6 (Against) Period 51-60 mins 2 (For) 5 (Against) Period 61-70 mins 4 (For) 5 (Against) Period 71-80 mins 2 (For) 6 (Against) Period 81-90 mins Middlesbrough Total goals 65 Goals per game 30 1 (For) 3 (Against) Period 0-10 mins 4 (For) 2 (Against) Period 11-20 mins 5 (For) 4 (Against) Period 21-30 mins (For) 2 (Against) Period 31-40 mins 6 (For) 3 (Against) Period 41-50 mins 5 (For) 3 (Against) Period 51-60 mins 4 (For) 1 (Against) Period 61-70 mins 3 (For) 3 (Against) Period 71-80 mins 2 (For) 4 (Against) Period 81-90 mins