Such thinking is why Ian Ashbee, whose dramatic 85th- minute winning goal against Crystal Palace ensured Hull City will go into the final day still dreaming of a top-two finish, has spent the weekend trying a few underhand tricks to unsettle West Bromwich Albion.

The second-placed Baggies are the overwhelming favourites to go up, Tony Mowbray's side needing just one point from the final two games to reach the hallowed Premier League.

The first of these is tonight when third-bottom Southampton visit the Hawthorns in front of the Sky cameras.

The form book – Saints having won just twice in their last 17 league outings – would suggest there is about as much chance of the south coast club moving out of the bottom three tonight as there is of Manchester United accepting defeat to a major rival with good grace.

There is, however, no such thing as a certainty in this season's Championship with its unpredictable nature being best illustrated by the leadership changing hands a staggering 18 times already.

And it is the belief that another shock could be just around the corner that has led to Ashbee trying a few mind games of his own on Neil Clement, the West Brom defender who spent a month on loan at the KC Stadium earlier this year.

The Birmingham-born Tigers captain revealed: "I am a Bluenose, I support Birmingham City. Villa are the team I see as our biggest rivals, but it would be nice to pip the Baggies.

"We had Neil Clement here on loan recently and he is a great kid – even though he plays for the Baggies. I have told him I won't hold that against him.

"But I have been sending him a few texts and because they are at home (to Southampton), I might just send a few people round to his house. They can play loud music all night and keep him up."

Should Ashbee's tactics not work tonight and Albion do claim the point needed to seal automatic promotion, City will still go into the final day of the season with hope.

The scenario facing Hull would be simple. A win at Ipswich Town next Sunday coupled with Stoke City losing at home to relegation-threatened Leicester City would mean Phil Brown's men joining West Brom in next season's Premier League by virtue of a vastly-superior goal difference.

It is why Ashbee, who joined the Tigers in 2002 when the club's home was the dilapidated and rundown Boothferry Park, rates his late winner against Palace so highly.

He said: "I have not scored a more important goal for Hull City. I have scored some decent ones that have been important to me, but this one means we go into the last game with a chance of winning automatic promotion.

"We have to look after ourselves. Leicester go to Stoke needing a win to stay in the league.

"It all means Ipswich will be the biggest game I have been involved in.

"To get this club in the Premier League would be a massive achievement."

Ashbee's winner may have come with just five minutes remaining, but – on the balance of play in the second half – there can be little doubt it was a deserved three points.

After on-loan pair Scott Sinclair and Fraizer Campbell had staged their very own mini Chelsea v Manchester United tussle in Yorkshire by scoring a goal apiece in the first half, predicting how the second 45 minutes would develop was difficult.

Palace's pace had terrorised the home side in the opening quarter of an hour with Sam Ricketts, in particular, struggling against the jet-heeled Victor Moses.

After Campbell's drilled shot from a Caleb Folan knockdown had opened the scoring on 18 minutes, however, City began stamping their authority on the game to such an extent that Palace's equaliser, when it came, did so against the run of play.

With 37 minutes on the clock, Sinclair was the beneficiary of some sloppy play by Wayne Brown in his own penalty area, the ball breaking to the on-loan Chelsea man who stabbed his shot past Boaz Myhill.

It was a crushing blow to the hosts and it was not until the hour mark that they truly settled back into any kind of rhythm, the catalyst being a superb run and shot by substitute Nathan Doyle.

The impetus was, by now, firmly with the Tigers, Michael Turner heading wide from a Dean Marney corner before Campbell was denied in quick succession by a last gasp tackle from Danny Butterfield and a stunning Speroni save.

A winner seemed imminent and it duly arrived for the expectant home fans with five minutes remaining when Ashbee met a Marney corner with a firm header to ensure the race for automatic promotion will go to the very last day.


Hull City: Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Pedersen (Doyle 32); Ashbee, Marney, Hughes (Barmby 68); Windass (Fagan 23); Folan, Campbell. Unused substitutes: Duke, Walton.

Crystal Palace: Peroni; Butterfield, Hudson, Fonte, Hill; Soares, Derry (Scanell 87), Watson; Sinclair (Ifill 71), Moses; Morrison. Unused substitutes: Ashton, Hills, Bostock.

Referee: R Booth (Nottinghamshire).