Bruce wants Wembley win for seriously ill chairman Allam

The Tigers owner has spent the past few weeks in hospital and will not be at Wembley to watch the Championship play-off final.

Supporters turned against Allam following the failed attempt to re-brand the club as ‘Hull Tigers’ but Bruce remains close to a chairman who brought him to the KC Stadium a little under four years ago.

“He is the reason why I came,” said Bruce. “His naivety and the way he was appealed. He is a genuinely good man. Who would have bought a club for £40m when he could have had it for a pound?

“Only he could do something like that, I would have thought. Most would have let it go into administration, most would have let the debts not be paid but he wanted it and bought the club for the community.

“He has let one or two issues upset a few but he has made those decisions for the benefit of the club and I can’t stress that enough.

“He is having a tough time at the minute so if we can get promotion for him and his family then I am sure it will give him a huge boost.”

Allam was in the Royal Box on City’s last two visits to Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final and final in 2014.

Both were huge dates in the club’s history, especially the latter when the Tigers faced Arsenal in what proved to be one of the all-time classic finals. Goals from James Chester and Curtis Davies inside the opening eight minutes put Hull firmly in charge only for the Gunners to hit back and triumph by the odd goal in five after extra time.

Losing that final to Arsene Wenger’s men came as a bitter blow but Bruce insists there is much more riding on Saturday’s all-Yorkshire showdown against Sheffield Wednesday.

“It is an achievement getting to a Wembley (FA) Cup final,” said the City chief. “But it is not an achievement if we get beaten on Saturday.

“We have finished fourth in the league and haven’t been able to do it so there is no achievement in getting to a play-off final.

“That is the ultimate difference with the Cup final. You can go and enjoy a Cup final, enjoy the occasion and celebrate being part of a great occasion that is a Cup final.

“With this game, it is a great occasion with a full Wembley but only if you win. The repercussions are huge. The good thing is we have dusted ourselves down and got over the emotional wringer that we put ourselves through during the second leg against Derby.

“I didn’t enjoy one minute of that night. Total agony from start to finish. As we all know, we do have a tendency to throw a horrible one in from time to time.

“Derby was definitely one of those and that, as a coach or manager, is the most frustrating thing that can happen.

“It frustrates the hell out of me. But, equally, we were excellent in the first leg down there. That showed what we are capable of.

“Now, we are ready to play Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley in what will be a fantastic occasion for Yorkshire. There has been a big gap since we last played, 11 days or so.

“But our fitness levels are okay. And we are mentally ready. There has been enough recovery time after what were two tough games and now we are ready to go again.”