Brighton & HA 0 Hull City 0: Deadly strike duo left to reflect on drawing a blank

The striker, eyes staring straight down and his shoulders hunched, clearly felt responsible for Hull City not having claimed all three points after missing a couple of chances that he would normally expect to convert.

Mclean had also hit the crossbar with a thumping shot during the second half so there was plenty to ponder as he slowly made his way across the turf at the end of an entertaining goalless draw.

Manager Nigel Pearson did his best to raise the spirits of the £1.3m signing from Peterborough United with an arm round the shoulder but it was not until Mclean reached the tunnel that a smile returned to his face.

The cause was a reunion with Craig Mackail-Smith, the two having spent four-and-a-half years scoring goals for fun at London Road as Peterborough won a couple of promotions under Darren Ferguson.

After swapping shirts, the pair embraced and Mackail-Smith could be clearly seen offering support to his one-time partner in goals.

Clearly, the bonds formed when at Peterborough run deep and the Brighton striker, who had started his first two games for Scotland during the international break, is adamant that the goals will soon start to flow for Mclean.

He said: “Aaron is one of my best mates as we roomed together at Peterborough. We got on well from the start.

“When we both joined Peterborough, people said we couldn’t play together so we were determined to prove them wrong. That’s probably why we became so close.

“When I got called up for Scotland, he got in touch to say he was proud of me.

“Unfortunately, despite his surname, there isn’t any Scottish in him so we won’t be able to play together for Scotland. We looked into it at Peterborough but there wasn’t anything there.

“Those four-and-a-half years we had rooming together at Peterborough were great and he is someone I respect a lot. It is why I was so pleased to get his shirt at the end, especially as this was the first time we had played against each other.

“I am going to frame his shirt, that is how much it means. It will go up on the wall at home along with the (Gerard) Pique one I got this week after the Spain game.

“They will look well together. Mind, I don’t think I’ll tell Aaron as he will only brag about it. In a way, that’s why I am glad he didn’t score against us as I would never have heard the end of it.

“He had a few chances but the ball wouldn’t go in for him with the shot that hit the crossbar and the one the ’keeper saved.

“But he will be fine and once one goes in then the goals will come for him.”

Mclean, in the side because Martyn Waghorn had picked up a hamstring injury on England Under-21s duty, had a second half to forget.

He was unfortunate with the 71st-minute shot that flew past Casper Ankergren only to crash against the crossbar and rebound to safety.

But the two misses either side of that thunderous effort were the sort that a striker of his pedigree would normally snaffle up.

The first came just after the hour when a long ball over the top from Joe Dudgeon together with a slip from Lewis Dunk allowed Mclean to scamper clear before hitting a shot that was too close to Casper Ankergren, who, as a result, was able to beat the ball away.

It was a bad miss, as was the 89th-minute effort that saw Mclean’s shot fly harmlessly wide after Robert Koren’s 25-yard shot had hit the crossbar and rebounded straight to the City striker.

Those two spurned opportunities together with the efforts that hit the crossbar were why Hull set off on the long trek north with just one point as opposed to three.

On balance, however, a draw was probably a fair result with Brighton also creating sufficient chances to be left wondering at the end how they had not won the game.

Mackail-Smith was twice denied by Adriano Basso, the City goalkeeper holding on to a point-blank header from the Seagulls striker before tipping over a fierce 20-yard shot near the end.

Brighton also wasted perhaps the game’s best chance on seven minutes when, despite being unmarked and picked out by Vicente’s corner, Dunk lamely headed wide of the target.

Ashley Barnes also shot wildly over when handily positioned, while Vicente should have done better on a couple of occasions when played through down the right.

With so many chances created at both ends, it was therefore just that the spoils should be shared – a result that was enough to put both clubs back in the play-off places at the final whistle.

Such a lofty standing is, for Hull, down to a defensive record that only Middlesbrough can better – Tony Mowbray’s side having let in six goals compared to the nine conceded by the Tigers.

That City have only scored nine as well means there is room for improvement, though manager Pearson is adamant that accusations his team are dour are well wide of the mark.

He said: “I hear on a few occasions that people say we are not attractive and are a bit dour, but is a load of rubbish.

“This was a game when both sides tried all out to win. I was delighted with our performance, some of the quality of our passing was excellent and we deserved to win the game.”