Grant McCann on Hull City being handed a 'reality check' at Fleetwood

HULL CITY head coach Grant McCann admits his high-flying side were handed a big reality check after suffering a second-half implosion in the wind and rain at Fleetwood.
Hull City manager Grant McCann.Hull City manager Grant McCann.
Hull City manager Grant McCann.

The scores were deadlocked at 1-1 at the break after captain George Honeyman quickly cancelled out Harvey Saunders's opener, but the second half was one-way traffic as the hosts overpowered the visitors and profited from several poor errors by City en route to an emphatic 4-1 success which was by no means flattering.

Goals arrived from Callum Camps, the impressive Saunders and Sam Stubbs as the Tigers - on a night when they could have moved three points clear at the top of League One - seeing their 100 per cent record dismantled on a night when their quest to register a club-record equalling fifth straight league clean sheet previously set in 1925-6 was ripped to shreds.

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McCann said: "I thought in the first half, it was an even game and the first real challenge we have had when we conceded the first and we responded well and got a good goal from George and the first half was even.

"With the second half, we just did not set it coming, if I am honest. We were simply not good enough and not at the races. We lost too many individual battles across the pitch and collectively, we just weren't good enough.

"I think the biggest disappointment is that we gave them three of the goals and two of them were from our throw-ins and they broke and scored and one was from our set play and we have lost a man and he has scored.

"Fleetwood were better than us in the second half, but we did not make it easy for ourselves.

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"Sloppy is a good word, particularly in the second half. We just weren't at it. We have beaten ourselves with the goals we gave away.

"We should have better quality. We all got a bit of a chasing in the second half and weren't good enough.

"The one thing I said to the players after was that this was a reality check as this is a tough league."