Coventry City and Middlesbrough are set to face off in the play-offs after a draw secured Coventry a fifth-placed finish. Sunderland also secured their spot in the play-offs with a stunning 3-0 win against Preston, which allowed them to edge out Blackburn on goal difference for sixth place. The Black Cats will now face Luton in the other play-off semi-final, while Millwall and West Brom will miss out after losing to Rovers and Swansea respectively.
Coventry started strong at the Riverside, with Gustavo Hamer firing a low drive across goal that was pushed wide by Middlesbrough goalkeeper Zack Steffen. Josh Eccles also had an effort go wide as Coventry continued to look dangerous, before Hamer broke the deadlock on 22 minutes. Boro appeared to have weathered the storm, but Hamer carried the ball from midfield and fired a bullet across Steffen and into the bottom corner.
Coventry boss Mark Robins urged his side on as they pressed for a second goal, but he was left frustrated at the slack defending that allowed Boro to equalize on the stroke of half-time. Isaiah Jones caught the Coventry defense off-guard with a quick short corner to Riley McGree, who drove into the area and laid it off for Alex Mowatt to shoot. His low shot hit Cameron Archer on the way before bouncing around off blue and red shirts, but Archer reacted quickest to hammer home the equalizer.
Coventry knew that a point would secure their play-off spot, and nerves started to jangle in the second half as scores from elsewhere started to filter through and Boro took control. However, the traveling supporters burst into celebration late on as news filtered through of Blackburn taking the lead in their game against Millwall. As the final whistle sealed their play-off spot, Coventry is now preparing to face Boro again at home on Sunday lunchtime.