LONDON, CMC – Cameron Archer netted his 11th goal of the season on Monday as Middlesbrough came from behind to draw 1-1 with Coventry City on the final day of the Championship season.
The 21-year-old, eligible to represent Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz through his mother, scored in first-half stoppage to cancel Gustavo Hamer’s 22nd-minute opener at the Riverside Stadium.
With the result, Middlesbrough finished fourth on 75 points, five ahead of Coventry, who they face in next Sunday’s first leg of the Championship playoffs.
“In the first half, we weren’t quite fully at it. That little spark, that extra bit of quality we are used to seeing, we couldn’t quite find …,” said Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick.
“But the longer the game went on, I thought we came into it, controlled it for large spells, and played pretty well.”
Knowing a win would confirm fifth place and the playoff fixture with Middlesbrough, Coventry struck first, Hamer netting from inside the 18-yard box.
Archer, however, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa, restored parity when he beat goalkeeper Zack Steffen with a volley into the upper right-hand corner following a quickly taken corner, in time added at the end of the first half.
Archer’s latest strike will likely intensify speculation over his future, with the player expected to return to Villa Park in the summer. Still, supporters are urging Boro to make the loan deal permanent.
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