Coventry boss praises team after point against Middlesbrough

Aug 28 2011

COVENTRY City manager Andy Thorn praised the battling qualities of his young Sky Blues after they came from behind to earn a point at high-flying Middlesbrough.

Boro were searching for a sixth straight win and looked to be well on the way to finding it when Marvin Emnes capitalised on Martin Cranie’s error, to give them a first-half lead.

But Lukas Jutkiewicz’s close-range header, 15 minutes from time, rescued a point for City – who learned the night before the game, that a proposed takeover bid had been withdrawn.

“We might be a small squad but there is an awful lot of character in there,” said Thorn. “We said at half-time that we hadn’t done ourselves justice and gifted them a goal, but when you play the way we do that’s going to happen.

“We tried to change the flow of the game in the second half and I felt we grew as the game went on and boys became men out there, I was proud of them.

“Middlesbrough are a good organised side with strength in depth. A lot of teams would have crumbled out there but my boys are strong and we dug in.”

Thorn named the same side that picked up their first point of the season in the 0-0 with Watford last weekend and they started like a settled side.

Both teams popped the ball about nicely without carving out any real chances in the early exchanges.

But the game sparked into life when former Arsenal full-back Justin Hoyte – deployed as a wing-back in Tony Mowbray’s attacking set-up – used his electric pace to blow past Chris Hussey and into the box.

He fired in a stinging shot that smashed against the crossbar and away for a goal kick.

Bundled

The confidence running through this Boro side was evident after that as Barry Robson revelled in his free role behind Emnes – and the pair almost combined to break the deadlock on two occasions, only to be denied by heroic defending from Martin Cranie.

But Cranie was the villain of the piece midway through the first half when his mistake led to the opener.

In an attempt to play his way out of trouble, the defender was caught in possession and the ball eventually reached Emnes who gratefully swept the it into the bottom corner from 18 yards.

This prompted Thorn’s first appearance from the dugout and City’s first real opening.

After tidy build-up play from Carl Baker and Hussey on the left, Roy O’Donovan managed to manoeuvre himself into a position to pick up Baker’s low cross.

The Irishman did well to control the ball but couldn’t finish what would have been a fine goal as his side-foot strike sailed harmlessly over the bar.

Boro continued to look the more likely to strike the next blow – Emnes, Robson and Hoyte the main instigators – and City’s first half efforts were typified by Baker’s 34th-minute booking, when, after showing good skill to beat a man, he was cautioned for diving as he tried to make something happen with limited support.

The Sky Blues made a better start to the second half and almost drew level when Jutkiewicz met a deep Hussey cross, but the striker failed to hit the target.

Richard Keogh threatened from two Sammy Clingan crosses in a matter of seconds but was denied by a brave header from opposite number Stephen McManus before failing to punish Boro for poor marking with his second chance.

The hosts began to get hold of the ball more after this and Emnes was at the heart of a lot of their good play. The Dutchman was clearly in confident mood.

A sharp one-two with Hoyte put the wide man in on goal but this time Hussey did just enough to prevent getting a clean strike at goal.

Mistake

However it was City who struck next, 15 minutes from time. On-loan Wolves stopper Carl Ikeme could only parry Hussey’s cross into the path of O’Donovan and his volley was deflected into the path of Jutkiewicz, who made no mistake with his header.

Boro threw everyone forward late on in search of a winner but the Sky Blues held on for a share of the spoils.