diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/bitcoinj/core/Transaction.java b/core/src/main/java/org/bitcoinj/core/Transaction.java
index 7cea2009..1bb55f4b 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/bitcoinj/core/Transaction.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/bitcoinj/core/Transaction.java
@@ -1177,25 +1177,17 @@ public class Transaction extends ChildMessage {
 
         // Check block height is in coinbase input script
         final TransactionInput in = this.getInputs().get(0);
-        final List<ScriptChunk> chunks;
-        
-        try {
-            final Script scriptSig = in.getScriptSig();
-            chunks = scriptSig.getChunks();
-        } catch(ScriptException e) {
-            throw new VerificationException("Coinbase input script signature is invalid.", e);
+        final ScriptBuilder builder = new ScriptBuilder();
+        builder.data(ScriptBuilder.createHeightScriptData(height));
+        final byte[] expected = builder.build().getProgram();
+        final byte[] actual = in.getScriptBytes();
+        if (actual.length < expected.length) {
+            throw new VerificationException.CoinbaseHeightMismatch("Block height mismatch in coinbase.");
         }
-        if (chunks.isEmpty()) {
-            throw new VerificationException("Coinbase input script signature is empty.");
-        }
-        final ScriptChunk chunk = chunks.get(0);
-        if (!chunk.isPushData()) {
-            throw new VerificationException("First element of coinbase input script signature is not pushdata.");
-        }
-        final byte[] data = chunk.data;
-        final byte[] expected = ScriptBuilder.createHeightScriptData(height);
-        if (!Arrays.equals(data, expected)) {
-            throw new VerificationException.CoinbaseHeightMismatch("Coinbase height mismatch.");
+        for (int scriptIdx = 0; scriptIdx < expected.length; scriptIdx++) {
+            if (actual[scriptIdx] != expected[scriptIdx]) {
+                throw new VerificationException.CoinbaseHeightMismatch("Block height mismatch in coinbase.");
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/bitcoinj/core/TransactionTest.java b/core/src/test/java/org/bitcoinj/core/TransactionTest.java
index 812f063e..001dc28b 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/bitcoinj/core/TransactionTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/bitcoinj/core/TransactionTest.java
@@ -307,10 +307,6 @@ public class TransactionTest {
         assertEquals(79, tx1.getMessageSizeForPriorityCalc());
     }
 
-    /**
-     * 
-     * @throws VerificationException 
-     */
     @Test
     public void testCoinbaseHeightCheck() throws VerificationException {
         // Coinbase transaction from block 300,000
@@ -319,4 +315,22 @@ public class TransactionTest {
         final Transaction transaction = params.getDefaultSerializer().makeTransaction(transactionBytes);
         transaction.checkCoinBaseHeight(height);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Test a coinbase transaction whose script has nonsense after the block height.
+     * See https://github.com/bitcoinj/bitcoinj/issues/1097
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void testCoinbaseHeightCheckWithDamagedScript() throws VerificationException {
+        // Coinbase transaction from block 224,430
+        final byte[] transactionBytes = HEX.decode(
+            "010000000100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000"
+            + "00000000ffffffff3b03ae6c0300044bd7031a0400000000522cfabe6d6d0000"
+            + "0000000000b7b8bf0100000068692066726f6d20706f6f6c7365727665726aac"
+            + "1eeeed88ffffffff01e0587597000000001976a91421c0d001728b3feaf11551"
+            + "5b7c135e779e9f442f88ac00000000");
+        final int height = 224430;
+        final Transaction transaction = params.getDefaultSerializer().makeTransaction(transactionBytes);
+        transaction.checkCoinBaseHeight(height);
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file