Coventry City failed to register their ambitions at the CBS Arena as they lost goalless to Middlesbrough in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final.

They came close to scoring when Chuba Akpom and Isaiah Jones brought home first-half saves from keeper Ben Wilson.

Mark Robins’ side will need to improve in the second leg on Wednesday at the Riverside Stadium.

The Championship’s top scorer, Akpom with 29 goals and City’s 21 goalscorer, Viktor Gyokeres, managed just one try between them, as Wilson touched the Middlesbrough striker over the bar.

Riley McGree set up Akpom inside the box, but his right-footed shot was not powerful enough to beat Wilson.

Wilson then had to be alert as he came close to making a brave save from Jones after Callum Doyle’s pass was cut out.

But the closest any goal was threatened after that was Paddy McNair’s injury-time corner, which missed Wilson’s left post by inches.

Big ups for Coventry and Boro

The intensity of the event on a very hot Sunday lunchtime in Coventry was dwarfed by the size of the Coventry and Boro tree.

Coventry haven’t played Premier League football since their 34-year stay in the top flight ended under Gordon Strachan in 2001 – and this is the closest they’ll ever come to getting back there.

Their story over the past decade in particular has been extraordinary – two relegations, two changes of ownership, two stadium moves and problems with the rugby club wasps.

But their six years since the Robins’ boss returned to the club has helped to improve things, despite the challenges.

Boro, by contrast, have been kicked out of the top flight for just six years. But they too have returned to the top since Carrick arrived on Teesside at the end of October.

When Coventry won 1-0 at home to Boro earlier in the season, both teams remained in the bottom three.

But since then, Carrick’s team has had the best record in the Championship – ahead of champions Burnley and able to lift them from 21 to 4, five points ahead of Coventry, who came from far away, with one division. to sit down.

With either Sunderland or Luton waiting for the final, this matchup could not be better as the two teams meet again in midweek.