Hat-trick for Haji Wright sees Coventry return to the top of the Championship

Monday the 16th of February saw league leaders Middlesbrough travel 180 miles south to face title contenders Coventry in what many would have considered, beforehand, a must-win home game for the Sky Blues. Lampard’s side had only lost once at home so far this campaign, but being winless in the three games prior
to the fixture no doubt caused nerves around the stadium in the lead-up to kick-off.

On the other hand, Kim Hellberg’s side had been on a terrific run of form since the head coach replaced the departing Rob Edwards. Six wins in a row from their last six Championship fixtures meant they had overtaken the Sky Blues in the table prior to kick-off. The Coventry Building Society Arena atmosphere was tremendous throughout the game, with an excellent rendition of The Enemy’s ‘We’ll Live & Die in These Towns’ a highlight of my trip to the stadium, as I joined a near sell-out crowd for the tie.

Wright pounced once again, slotting coolly into the bottom corner to give the home side a two-goal cushion

The game started with constant chances for both sides and little to separate them as they battled for top spot. However, a cross from the right saw Haji Wright get a toe to the ball first, giving Coventry the advantage they would carry into half-time. The second half was the more entertaining of the two, with both goalkeepers forced into strong saves to keep the scoreline at 1–0. Coventry then enjoyed a spell of dominance, and a long ball forward from defence caused confusion between Ayling and the Middlesbrough goalkeeper. Wright pounced once again, slotting coolly into the bottom corner to give the home side a two-goal cushion.

Middlesbrough looked fired up after this, and substitutions injected energy into the side. A goal soon followed, as Riley McGree tucked the ball away just past the hour mark, a much-deserved strike that brought a nervous atmosphere over the stadium. With Middlesbrough looking the stronger side, Lampard needed a moment of fortune to restore confidence. Some clever footwork down the right led to a cross, which struck the left-back’s hand obviously. Wright stepped up and rocketed home from the spot to complete his hat-trick and secure victory for Coventry, returning them to top spot despite much of the possession being held by the travelling side.

The victory was hugely welcomed by Lampard, who will hope to continue this winning form

Unsurprisingly, Wright claimed Man of the Match, his treble taking him to second in the top scorer standings (13 goals in 28 games), two behind Swansea’s Vipotnik. The victory was hugely welcomed by Lampard, who will hope to continue this winning form with a big trip to
rivals West Brom coming up this weekend. Meanwhile, Middlesbrough face a favourable run of fixtures, where they will hope to mount pressure on Coventry and extend their gap from the dreaded play-offs.