Bradford City 2 Hull City 1: Andy Cook at the double as Bantams get campaign up and running

As a centre-forward, Andy Cook is more old-fashioned than glamorous, but League Two football will always have a place for strikers of his ilk and his two goals at the end of the first half rendered all the patient but largely ineffective football which Hull had played up to that point – and would do afterwards – irrelevant.

A bullet header and a steered finish – both wonderfully created – earnt his side a 2-1 victory and a place in tonight’s second-round draw.

It was a result which never looked on the cards before Cook got his head to Brad Halliday’s wonderful 40th-minute cross but which ought to do the Bantams a huge amount of good.

It was, after all, their first win of a season where the expectations are as high as they have been since they dropped into League Two.

The change at both clubs since the end of last season has been dizzying so any assessment of them has to be tempered by the fact they are still getting to know one another.

With seven changes to Bradford’s three, Hull’s excuse was the stronger.

But for the Tigers to get to where the charismatic and ambitious owner Acun Ilicali wants them to be they will have to be ruthless, not so much in despatching chances – there was precious little evidence either way of their ability to do that – but in making them.

Two shots on target, only nine in all, was a poor return for their night’s work.

Sean McLoughlin hit the base of the post, but only after Harry Chapman missed a chance which ought to have put the game to bed.

In truth the first half was not much to write home about but all three goals scored were.

Hull passed the ball around patiently but it took until the 20th minute for Sheffield Wednesday target Mallik Wilks to have their first shot of goal.

A minute later Tufan had the chance to deliver a dangerous free-kick but curled it way too close to Harry Lewis.

But Ozan Tufan is a Turkish international with 65 caps and, from a deeper position to the one he filled in the first couple of Championship games, showed his quality.

Hull wing-backs played very high and Randell Williams – a winger by trade – got to the byline to pull the ball back for Tufan to steer a precise shot which ricocheted between Lewis and the woodwork on its way in.

Jake Young began to stir his side, twice in quick succession cutting in onto his right foot for a shot at David Robson and another deflected for a corner. Even so, Cook’s brilliant opening goal was out of the blue, bulletting a header from former Middlesbrough right-back Halliday’s delivery.

Robson – presumably now Hull’s fourth-choice goalkeeper following the free transfer signing announced earlier in the day of Thimothee Lo-Tutala but completed early enough for the France Under-19 international to be on the bench – dealt unconvincingly with a Richie Smallwood corner, leading to another.

Young stepped over it and Cook steered the ball in. Arveladze made a triple substitution at half-time and switched to four at the back but 10 minutes later the away fans were still signing “Shota, sort it out!”

Allalhyar Sayyadmanesh, freed from wing-back to start in his preferred position up front, had an effort headed away by Huddersfield Town loanee Romoney Critchlow but the best chance was about to come Bradford’s way. Debutant Scott Banks played in Chapman, only for him to miss the target with his moment of televised glory calling him.

Inevitably Hull increased the pressure but it never felt like an equaliser was coming.

Centre-back McLoughlin could have changed that from Hull’s first corner, in the 70th minute, and Tobias Figueroda put a Lewie Coyle cross wide when he responded to the frantic waves for men to get forward in the 90th minute.

The first two league games of the season have shown the Bantams cannot take anything or granted but Hughes and the backing he has received have ignited a fire under consistently let-down supporters.

Hull still have some way to go to live up to the hopes their fans have. On this sketchy evidence, they still need to spend more.

Bradford City: Lewis; Halliday, Platt, Crichlow, Ridehalgh;, Smallwood, Gilliead (East 76); Banks, Chapman (Sutton 76), Young (Angol 61); Cook (Oliver 87). Unused substitutes: Songo’o, Odusina, Foulds, Hendrie, Doyle.

Hull City: Robson; McLoughlin, A Jones (Figueiredo 46), Greaves (Coyle 46); Williams (Estupinan 72), Cannon, Tufan (Slater 46), Elder; Covil; Wilks, Sayyadmanesh. Unused substitutes: C Jones, Jacob, Tetteh, Lo-Tutala, Mills.

Referee: S Stockbridge (Tyne and Wear).