Grant McCann hails excellent derby victory for Hull City

McCann's side will fly the flag for the White Rose with Harrogate Town now eliminated from the competition with the Tigers being the winners of Group H.

Quick-fire goals either side of the half-hour mark from Martin Samuelsen - including a sublime opener - put City firmly in the box seat in the Humber rivals first meeting in Hull since August, 1989.

An eye-catching third from substitute James Scott sealed the win with the only downer arriving late on when Samuelsen earned a penalty but spurned the chance of taking the match ball home with Mariners keeper James McKeown saving his effort.

McCann, whose side have won their past four matches in all competitions without conceding a goal - while scoring nine goals in the process - said: "I thought we were excellent. We were good when we got into the final third and looked clinical and had numerous opportunities and it was nice to get three goals with three excellent finishes to win the game."

On the performance of Samuelsen, he added: "He produced a very good performance. The best players in the world miss penalties and he just got it wrong.

"But his performance was good and his first goal was excellent and it was a great finish with his left foot and his second was something we want our forwards to do more often in arriving at the back post.

"It was a great bit of skill from Haks (Hakeeb Adelakun) to work his way into the box (for the second goal). I know Grimsby were complaining it was offside, but it was never offside.

"I am just disappointed he (Samuelsen) did not get his first senior hat-trick. But hopefully he has got many years left in the game and it will come at some stage.

"In the second half, I thought we controlled the game."

On earning a home draw after winning Group H, McCann said: "We have got another game now and it is a home game because we have won the group, which is pleasing.

"It means we don't have to travel (again). With these two league (away) games coming up, I think we could have had eight away games away from home and five at home out of 13 games."

McCann remains hopeful that Josh Magennis and Keane Lewis-Potter will be available for the weekend league trip to MK Dons.

He said: "He (Magennis) will be back and available for Saturday and hopefully Keane as well. We have just to play it by ear at this present time.

"Although he (Lewis-Potter) is due back in on Friday, he will obviously have missed two weeks of training and if he shows any symptoms between now and Friday, he is going to have to isolate for a further five days, which is really frustrating for us as he has none at the minute.

"But whether Keane will be right for Saturday after no training for two weeks, I very much doubt it."