Robson pays high price after high spending

BIG SPENDING FA Cup finalists Middlesbrough and their North East neighbours Sunderland crashed out of the Premiership on the last day of the English season yesterday while Coventry staged another dramatic escape.

As Middlesbrough, who drew 1-1 at Leeds, and Sunderland, beaten 1-0 at Wimbledon, joined already doomed Nottingham Forest in the first division next season, Coventry escaped relegation after winning 2-1 at Tottenham. First half goals from Dion Dublin and Paul Williams saved them the 10th time in 30 years they have avoided the drop on the last day of the season.

Southampton, who could also have been relegated depending on the outcome of their match at Aston Villa and results elsewhere, also avoided the drop, despite losing 1-0 at Villa Park. Defender Richard Dryden scored an own goal after only 12 minutes.

Middlesbrough's chairman Steve Gibson said: "There are highs and lows in football, and this is definitely a low. We have the cup final next week and hopefully we will win that."

Middlesbrough would have been safe on 42 points if they had not had three points deducted for failing to play a match at Blackburn last December. The club claimed too many players were ill. Although they lost an appeal to the league to have the points reinstated, they are believed to be considering an appeal to the High Court to have that decision overturned.

If they did that, the situation regarding the relegation positions would be a matter of some uncertainty during the close season.

Chairman Gibson refused to rule out a legal challenge after the match at Leeds. "We have been relegated today not because of what happened on the football pitch but because of a decision made by grey men in grey suits behind closed doors," he said.

Asked whether a legal challenge would be made, Gibson replied: "That's for me to know. Those who deducted us three points will be the first to know my message.

Sunderland manager Peter Reid said: "It's not the end of the world to be relegated to the first division, it just feels like it is."

There was an agonising wait for Sunderland's fans because Coventry's match at Tottenham kicked off 15 minutes after all the other games started, due to traffic congestion around Tottenham's White Hart Lane ground.

With Sunderland's match already over, if Tottenham had forced a draw in the final 15 minutes, Coventry could still have been relegated. Coventry player manager Gordon Strachan said: The players today played with as much heart as any world class players I have been lucky to play with in my career. Some of their football today was superb, considering the pressure they were under.

All in all, it was a bitter sweet day for the North East. For while both Middlesbrough whose manager Bryan Robson spent £16 million assembling a side which included Italian Fabrizio Ravanelli, and Brazilians Juninho and Emerson, and Sunderland went down, neighbours Newcastle crushed Nottingham Forest 5-0 to finish second to Manchester United and claimed England's second European Cup place next season.

United finished off their season in style. They were presented with the league trophy for the fourth time in five seasons before their final game at home against West Ham which they won 2-0. Scorers were Ole Solskjaer and Jordi Cruyff.