Hull City: Evolution continues for Tigers despite disappointment

FOR the small band of Bristol City followers who made the 460-mile round-trip to East Yorkshire on Saturday, events on a dank December day hardly made up for that painful Spring afternoon at the home of football in May, 2008.
Hull's Mallik Wilks has his shot blocked. Pictures: Jonathan GawthorpeHull's Mallik Wilks has his shot blocked. Pictures: Jonathan Gawthorpe
Hull's Mallik Wilks has his shot blocked. Pictures: Jonathan Gawthorpe

Early on, their Hull City counterparts joyously reminded them of that episode which saw the Tigers secure a place in the top flight for the first time in their 104-year history at the expense of the Robins. ‘We saw you crying on Wembley Way,’ they teased.

There were no tears this time around at this particular game’s conclusion, but there was an undeniable sense of deflation; this time for those in amber and black and not red and white.

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A snapshot from former Barnsley loanee Matty James in the first minute of stoppage time, which drew the visitors level for the second time, was the cause of it.

Hull's George Honeyman celebrates his goal.Hull's George Honeyman celebrates his goal.
Hull's George Honeyman celebrates his goal.

It will have provoked just a hint of schadenfreude among those from the West Country and it will have certainly made the long trip home seem a little shorter in the process.

Eleven minutes earlier, Hull appeared to have dug themselves out of a hole when George Honeyman tucked away the rebound after Keane Lewis-Potter’s first-timer was turned away by Daniel Bentley.

It provided further evidence of their evolution. Their second-half offering had been low-key, but all successful sides find a way when they are not playing well as Hull seemed to do before the sting in front of the watching Tan Kesler, right-hand man of City’s prospective new owner Acun Ilicali, a Turkish media mogul.

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Instead of securing a fifth win in six matches, Hull registered a second-successive draw. There was understandable disappointment, but it was of the healthy variety. City are now six matches unbeaten – recording such a run looked a world away as recently as mid-autumn.

Hull's Randell Williams  takes on Bristol's Han-Noah Massengo.Hull's Randell Williams  takes on Bristol's Han-Noah Massengo.
Hull's Randell Williams takes on Bristol's Han-Noah Massengo.

They have travelled a fair distance in a short space of time and the mood at their Cottingham training ground should remain decidedly upbeat this morning.

Defender Sean McLoughlin observed: “We are obviously disappointed at the manner in which we conceded the goal late on. We had a great chance to go on and win the game.

“But I suppose when we come back in and we reflect on the last couple of games, it’s a point in the right direction.

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“We didn’t win the game, but we didn’t lose either, so we have had a good few results – four wins and two draws in the last six games – so it’s been brilliant.”

McLoughlin and his defensive cohorts will have been frustrated by events in the second half.

Yet there was still enough to enthuse about over the course of the piece, taking away two concessions to a visting side who were much improved on the restart and far more threatening than on their last visit to Yorkshire 13 days earlier at Sheffield United.

Hull’s opening 20 minutes was slick, brisk, polished, eye catching and confident, with their inter-changing movement troubling the visitors, who looked destined for a long afternoon.

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It yielded a third-minute opener from Ryan Longman, who struck for a second successive home match and it was a beauty.

After going on the outside to create an early chance for Greg Docherty, the Brighton loanee tried his luck inside to hoodwink Alex Scott and fire a precision curler past Bentley.

Longman almost provided an encore later on in the half, with his effort this time landing on the roof of the net and his vibrant first-half performance in particular was a notable tick in the box.

McLoughlin added: “Ryan has been brilliant. Obviously he had a tough start to the season – he was injured and I think he had Covid and stuff like that – but we all know what he can do.

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“He is a young player but in glimpses he’s been brilliant: we can see it in training and he just showed on Saturday what he is capable of and I’m buzzing for him because he was struggling for game time at the start of the season and now he has come in and taken his chance.

“Competition for places is what we need and we need lads pushing each other and him and Keane [Lewis-Potter] in the last couple of games have been very good so, hopefully, they can do more of the same over the next couple of weeks.”

Ultimately, it was a 37th-minute miss from Malik Wilks which proved a bit of a turning point on the day.

Bentley coughed up Docherty’s routine cross from the left, presenting a sight of a goal close in for Wilks, only to see the Bristol City captain atone for his error by blocking the Hull striker’s attempt.

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A second goal should have been enough for Hull, but the miss was the precursor to a change of narrative in the second half as the Robins – ably led by Han-Noah Massengo – started to make their presence felt.

Andi Weimann went close before Antoine Semenyo was left unchecked from James’s corner, with the striker ramming home the rebound after his initial shot shuddered the post.

Hull’s substitutes in the shape of Tyler Smith and Tom Eaves pepped things up and the hosts dug deep and found a second goal. Unfortunately for Hull, there was more to come from the Robins at the other end.

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