Curse of Sky Blues goes on as Boro lose top spot

MIDDLESBROUGH'S Coventry City curse continued as they lost a seventh straight game against the Sky Blues, who leapfrogged Boro back to the top of the Championship.

- By CRAIG JOHNS Football writer

Middlesbrough forward Morgan Whitaker sprints forward with the ball under pressure from Coventry City defender Milan Van Ewijk

A 3-1 victory for the home side after a Haji Wright hat-trick, it felt largely of Boro's own doing; twice they failed to capitalise on potential momentum swings, conceding both second half goals while on top.

A poor first half saw them trailing deservedly, but they were on top when they gifted Wright his second ten minutes after the restart.

Getting back into it through Riley McGree's goal, they then conceded a penalty just two minutes later, on a night where they couldn't get a grip of the game, and as a result surrendered top spot.

Naming an unchanged side after last Monday evening's victory at Sheffield United, Boro needed a similar kind of away performance. They'd done so well to manage the early atmosphere at Bramall Lane before taking control.

With Coventry out of form, a similar outcome this time could have quickly created an anxiety around the CBS Arena, but it was the exact opposite. They offered the home side and their fans encouragement with their own sloppiness in possession.

There were only two minutes on the clock when Wright headed against the post, and it didn't get much better from there for Boro.