FOOTBALL – Jack Rudoni at the double as Coventry City secure play-off spot on final day of Championship season

COVENTRY City sealed their place in the play-offs after Jack Rudoni scored a brace in a 2-0 win against Middlesbrough on the final day of the season.

Rudoni broke the deadlock on 44 minutes before striking again three minutes from time at an electric Coventry Building Society Arena.

The Sky Blues will now play Sunderland in the Championship play-offs after leapfrogging Bristol City in the table to rise to fifth after the Robins could only manage a draw at Preston North End.

Victory for City also ended Middlesbrough’s hopes of achieving a top-six finish.

Coventry made a bright start at a fever-pitch CBS Arena as Milan van Ewijk delivered a low cross from the right which Ellis Simms met only to send a shot inches past the post.

And City created another opening down the right moments later when Tatsuhiro Sakamoto played a cross along the ground into the path of Ben Sheaf who blazed over from the edge of the penalty area.

Boro threatened with a chance of their own at the other end as Hayden Hackney’s deflected effort fell kindly into the path of Morgan Whittaker who shot tamely straight at Ben Wilson.

And the visitors had another chance just past the half-hour mark when Whittaker drove up the pitch before Tommy Conway laid the ball into the path of Samuel Iling-Junior who curled wide from 20-yards out.

Middlesbrough came within inches of taking the lead four minutes before the break as Wilson superbly tipped Finn Azaz’s low curling effort from 20-yards out onto the post diving to his left.

And Coventry then broke the deadlock one minute before the interval as Rudoni headed Sakamoto’s cross from the right into the bottom left corner to put the Sky Blues ahead at the break.

Boro spurned a glorious chance to draw level on the hour mark as Wilson stayed big to keep out Conway’s powerful shot from eight-yards out with the save celebrated like a goal by the home crowd.

And Wilson denied Conway again moments later as the City stopper smothered the Boro man’s low effort from distance.

Substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante went close to doubling City’s lead when latched onto Wilson’s clearance before cutting in from the left and firing a shot against the post from 25-yards out.

And Thomas-Asante went close again moments later only to see his goalbound effort bravely blocked by Rav van den Berg.

Boro hit the woodwork for a second time late on as Whittaker curled a shot against the post from the edge of the penalty area.

However, Rudoni made sure of Coventry’s place in the play-offs when he finished from six-yards out on 87 minutes after Thomas-Asante held off Dael Fry before bursting through and selflessly squaring the ball to the midfielder.