Hull City 3 Doncaster Rovers 1: Unchained Tigers scent play-offs as Rovers face fight to survive

Unchained by manager Nigel Pearson, they cut the gap on sixth-placed Leeds to just two points with four games to play and, at the same time, left Rovers in a real relegation fight.

Sean O’Driscoll’s side are only five points from the drop zone and face an important home game on Friday against fourth-from-bottom Crystal Palace.

Failure to again heed their manager’s warning to tighten things defensively and another three points will be gone.

Saturday’s meeting at the KC Stadium epitomised the topsy-turvy nature of this season’s Championship.

Rovers were the side initially with play-off aspirations but a debilitating string of injuries to 14 players has resulted in a run of just two wins from their last 20 Championship games.

Hull, on the other hand, were never going to be fighting a basement battle once Pearson prioritised on defensive stability but their ambitions were limited to survival following the financial turmoil which followed relegation from the Premier League.

Once the Allams had taken over and wiped out the debt, however, Pearson was able to strengthen his attack and, on Saturday, he was rewarded by an outstanding performance from one of the strikers he signed, Matty Fryatt.

Pearson threw caution to the wind knowing that only victory would suffice and while Hull’s defence looked porous at times, Doncaster’s was positively gaping.

It resulted in an attacking free-for-all but the Tigers were the more potent force, scoring three times at home for the first time this season, although they could easily have doubled their tally.

Fryatt, a £1.2m signing from Pearson’s old club, Leicester, scored twice and was involved in all of Hull’s best attacking moves as they threw off the shackles.

They had scored only 15 goals at home all season prior to Saturday and Fryatt revealed how they had attempted to alleviate that problem.

“We trained here Thursday and Friday and, although there were no fans inside, I think that made a difference. It maybe helped us get a feel for it again,” he said.

“For some reason the home form has been dreadful and there’s not been much that we’ve given to the home fans to get behind the team.

“It was a big plus for us not just to win but to get three goals. I don’t know the last time we scored three goals at home so it was a big day for us. Hopefully, we can build on it now. It’s been so frustrating at home. We haven’t created a lot of chances and the performances here have been poor in general.

“It was a big game for us to put it right and we responded well. We created a lot of chances, in the first half in particular, and we really opened them up. We played some great stuff.”

Of their play-off hopes, Fryatt continued: “We’re still in there. When you lose you don’t look at the table but when you win you’re looking out for everyone else’s results.

“Reading have shown in the last few weeks what can happen when you put a few results together so we’ll concentrate on our own form and see where we go.

“Hopefully, we can maximum points from the last four games and squeeze in there. We’re just going to concentrate on ourselves.

“We want 12 points, that’s got to be the target. We’ve got two home games and, hopefully, if we can play like we did against Doncaster, that would bring us six points.

“Then it’s two difficult away games. Hopefully, QPR will be up by then and may take their eye off the ball and then Bristol City, who will have nothing to play for at the end of the season. Hopefully there’s a good chance for maximum points.”

Fryatt was involved in Hull’s early opener, seeing his shot blocked across to present the recalled Richard Garcia – later stretchered away with a knee injury – a simple tap-in.

Vito Mannone went on to make several fine saves but he needed to after he allowed a long-range drive from Simon Gillett to pass between his hands and thud against the post, allowing Franck Moussa to drill in the 16th-minute equaliser from out on the left.

Midway through the half, however, a push by Shelton Martis on James Chester allowed Fryatt to make it 2-1 from the penalty spot.

There were chances galore before the break but no more goals but Fryatt virtually sealed it for Hull in the 50th minute when he dived in at the far post to head home the cross from Liam Rosenoir.

Substitute Aaron Mclean was then guilty of the miss of the season as he and Fryatt broke the offside trap late on.

Fryatt should have completed his hat-trick but unselfishly squared for Mclean to complete the job from inside the six-yard area. Under little pressure, however, Mclean fluffed the chance, the ball striking his heel and bouncing clear.

“I’ve missed worse than that, it was just one of those moments but I should have just finished it shouldn’t I?” was Fryatt’s rueful reaction.

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Hull City: Mannone, Rosenoir, Gerrard, Hobbs, Dawson; Garcia (Devitt 41), Evans, Chester, Koren; Simpson (Mclean 80), Fryatt. Unused substitutes: Duke, Harper, Cairney, Amoo, Belaid.

Doncaster Rovers: G Woods, O’Connor, Martis (Thomas 75), Kilgallon, Friend; , Stock; Oster (Euell 59), Coppinger; Gillett; Hayter (Mason 71), Moussa. Unused substitutes: Sullivan, Wilson, Hird, Shiels.

Referee: M Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).