Crystal Palace 0 Hull City 2: N’Doye is proving full value in survival mission

COME the final day of reckoning in this season’s Premier League, the tense hours Steve Bruce spent holed up in a Paris hotel persuading Dame N’Doye to join Hull City may well prove the difference between survival and relegation.
Dame NDoye celebrates with Paul McShane after his two goals had given Hull City an important victory at Crystal Palace in the battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League (Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire).Dame NDoye celebrates with Paul McShane after his two goals had given Hull City an important victory at Crystal Palace in the battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League (Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire).
Dame NDoye celebrates with Paul McShane after his two goals had given Hull City an important victory at Crystal Palace in the battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League (Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire).

The Tigers’ manager, left frustrated by an inability to strengthen his squad during the first 32 days of the transfer window, flew out of England in the early hours of February 2 to make a desperate 11th hour attempt to sign the Lokomotiv Moscow striker.

There were many hurdles to overcome, not least the fact N’Doye would have to take a “substantial” pay cut to leave Russia.

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Bruce, however, got his man and the value of that personal plea is becoming clear for all to see.

After taking his tally of goals to five in a Hull shirt with a timely double against Crystal Palace, N’Doye has scored in all three of the victories claimed by Bruce’s men since the Senegal international’s move to the East Riding.

He also found the net in March’s 1-1 draw at home to Sunderland and if Hull do go on to secure survival come May 24 then Bruce insists the role played by his striker could be overstated.

“Getting N’Doye in was worth all the hard work,” said the Tigers’ chief after his side moved up a place to 16th in the table.

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“I saw him five years ago playing for Copenhagen. I tried to buy him then, but couldn’t due to work permit (problems).”

Asked about the February morning he left newly-appointed assistant Mike Phelan in charge of training to fly out and meet N’Doye, Bruce replied: “I had to sell it to him. We had half a shandy in his hotel in Paris and the big attraction was the Premier League.

“I have never seen anyone take as big a pay cut as he did to join us. Hopefully, he will get that money back. If he keeps producing like he did against Palace, he will earn a new contract – either with us or somewhere else.”

Not so long ago, Alan Pardew and Bruce were in opposing dugouts for the slug-fest that is the Tyne-Wear derby.

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Hull’s visit to south London was never going to match that grudge derby for atmosphere and passion, but there could be little doubt as to just how potentially vital the contest was to the Yorkshire side’s prospects.

Bruce had made that crystal clear during the build-up and his players responded with arguably their most complete performance of what has, at times, been a long campaign.

With N’Doye and Sone Aluko providing mobility and purpose in attack along with an ability to retain possession, the midfield trio of Tom Huddlestone, Jake Livermore and Stephen Quinn were able to dictate matters.

Quinn, in particular, was outstanding, his busy style and accurate passing meaning that Palace were on the back foot for most of the proceedings.

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Not that the Eagles did not have chances to score. After all, it would not have been a Hull away display without the threat of some self-inflicted damage at some stage from Bruce’s men.

This tendency to make life hard for themselves reared its head inside six minutes, as James Chester made a hash of an attempted clearance to present the ball to Glenn Murray just five yards out.

A goal seemed certain, but Steve Harper, again preferred to Allan McGregor, rescued Hull with a brave block and after that it was the visitors who were in control.

Such was their dominance, in fact, that the Tigers should have wrapped things up long before the final whistle. That they did not was down to some profligate finishing, not least from N’Doye in the 15th minute.

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Having been picked out by a wonderful delivery from the left flank by Robbie Brady, the striker had the seemingly simple task of beating the stranded Julian Speroni only to somehow manage to slide in and divert the ball away from goal.

The miss was awful and one, thanks to his second-half double, that N’Doye was able to laugh about afterwards. “I was more like a defender,” chuckled the 30-year-old. “I wanted to slide in, but the pitch was wet and I slid too much. The ball arrived behind me and so I cleared it.”

Thankfully for Hull, N’Doye was in much more clinical mood six minutes into the second half.

The visitors had gone close through Huddlestone and Livermore, both denied by Speroni in the first half, and N’Doye again early after the restart when he headed Ahmed Elmohamady’s cross against a post.

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So, when the deadlock finally was broken, Palace could have few complaints. Neat play by Aluko created the space for a cross to the back post, where Brady controlled before firing back across the face of goal for N’Doye to tap in.

Hull continued to press once ahead as both N’Doye and Livermore shot narrowly wide before Huddlestone twice did the same.

Palace did get the ball in the net seven minutes from time, but Yaya Sanogo was rightly penalised for a tug on Paul McShane before N’Doye, moments after again being denied by Speroni, was released by Gaston Ramirez.

Clean through on goal, the Senegal international looked up before drilling an unstoppable shot into a corner of the net to seal another crucial victory for the 
Tigers.

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Crystal Palace: Speroni; Kelly, Dann, Delaney, Souare; Puncheon, Jedinak (Lee 64), McArthur, Zaha (Gayle 72); Murray (Sanogo 59), Bolasie. Unused substitutes: Mutch, Ledley, Hangeland, Hennessey.

Hull City: Harper; Chester, Dawson, McShane; Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Quinn (Ramirez 72), Brady (Rosenior 83); Aluko (Bruce 85), N’Doye. Unused substitutes: Figueroa, McGregor, Hernandez, Sagbo.

Referee: M Clattenburg (Co Durham).