Hull City 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0: Five things we learned from the Championship play-off final

Five things we learned from the Championship play-off final....
(L-R) Hull City's Harry Maguire, Mohamed Diame, David Meyler, Sam Clucas, Ahmed Elmohamady and Alex Bruce celebrate after the Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium, London.(L-R) Hull City's Harry Maguire, Mohamed Diame, David Meyler, Sam Clucas, Ahmed Elmohamady and Alex Bruce celebrate after the Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium, London.
(L-R) Hull City's Harry Maguire, Mohamed Diame, David Meyler, Sam Clucas, Ahmed Elmohamady and Alex Bruce celebrate after the Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium, London.

Brucie’s bonus

Steve Bruce made history by becoming the first manager to win four promotions into the top flight since the Premier League was formed in 1992. The former Manchester United captain took Birmingham up in 2002 and 2007, and has now won promotion as Hull boss twice in three years. The question is, can he keep them there this time?

The golden shot

Hull City's Robert Snodgrass (left) and Andrew Robertson celebrate victory.Hull City's Robert Snodgrass (left) and Andrew Robertson celebrate victory.
Hull City's Robert Snodgrass (left) and Andrew Robertson celebrate victory.

Various estimates put the value of winning promotion at around £170million. It’s a bit less for Hull, who now forego their parachute payments after bouncing straight back after last season’s relegation. But Mo Diame’s shot is still worth the thick end of £110million for the Tigers.

Finished product?

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While they were unlucky to have a header cleared off the line and to find Owls goalkeeper Keiren Westwood in fine form, Hull’s finishing was poor. Diame should have done much better with his shot which hit the post, and Andy Robertson’s composure deserted him eight yards out. It was going to take something special for them to win it - Diame provided it.

Empty seats never look good

Hull City manager Steve Bruce (right) and Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal on the touchline.Hull City manager Steve Bruce (right) and Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal on the touchline.
Hull City manager Steve Bruce (right) and Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal on the touchline.

The sight of rows and rows of empty seats in the Hull City end was disappointing. A club returning to the Premier League should be able to sell more than two-thirds of their allocation. But, offf-the-field issues between the club’s owners and fans have been ongoing and some Hull fans may have stayed away due to them disagreeing with the club’s owners about a number of issues, including switching over to a new style membership scheme for the 2016-17 season. The Wednesday end, by contrast, was packed and bouncing and their fans deserved better from their team.

What are the odds?

Just in case anyone fancies a flutter on Hull doing a Leicester City and winning the Premier League title next season, you can get a juicy 1500-1. Worth a pound of anyone’s money, surely?