Middlesbrough 1 Coventry City 1: Lifeless draw offers little cheer at Boro

MANAGER Gordon Strachan admitted Middlesbrough's 1-1 draw with Coventry had an end-of-season feel to it although he was grateful for the bright spark provided by local starlet Luke Williams.

Scott McDonald fired Boro in front in the 52nd minute following excellent work by Jeremie Aliadiere, but Aron Gunnarsson levelled six minutes later after Stephen Wright's drive was blocked by Brad Jones.

It was Boro's seventh home draw of a campaign in which they have fallen well short of expectation and which could see them finish mid-table.

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Strachan admitted: "We've all seen games like that at the end of the season when teams don't have a lot to play for. The tempo wasn't great and the football wasn't pretty and both sides were maybe guilty of that."

Williams, on his first senior start, was the most positive player on the pitch in an otherwise pedestrian first half.

And Strachan continued: "Luke Williams was a real bonus for us in an uneventful game.

"We haven't just thrown him in. Luke has been training with us since three or four weeks after I came here. He has great natural ability and he was on our wing in the first half so we could tell him where to go and which positions to take up."

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Both Gunnarsson and Sean Jeffers missed late chances to win it for Coventry, to the frustration of manager Chris Coleman.

"We certainly created some chances and maybe we could have got something at the end," he said.

Middlesbrough: Jones, Hoyte, Riggott, McManus, Bennett, Luke Williams, Robson, Rhys Williams, Aliadiere (Franks 73), Miller (Lita 62), McDonald. Unused substitutes: Coyne, Killen, Arca, Grounds, Naughton.

Coventry City: Westwood, Wright (Clarke 75), Wood, Barnett, Cranie, Bell (Baker 79), Gunnarsson, Clingan, McIndoe, Eastwood, Morrison (Jeffers 84). Unused substitutes: Konstantopoulos, Hall, Hussey, Grandison. Referee: D McDermid (Middlesex).