Grant McCann hails ‘good start’ for Hull City

Goals from Keane Lewis-Potter and Josh Magennis earned the Tigers all three points.

“I thought it was a good result, a good performance,” said McCann.

“It possibly should have been more, if we were a bit more clinical at the top end of the pitch.

“But I can’t grumble – we’ve come to one of the toughest places in League One in Gillingham, especially the way they play, the way Steve [Evans] gets them playing.

“Today I thought we handled everything they threw at us all game. Apart from one chance they had in the first half from [John] Akinde, I can’t remember too many others.

“I thought we were in control of everything we did and possibly should have come away with more goals.”

Relegated Hull took just three minutes to open the scoring as Lewis-Potter fired low past Jack Bonham after Josh Emmanuel’s driving run into the box.

Gillingham striker John Akinde should have levelled for the home side within 120 seconds but shot straight at Matt Ingram when through on goal.

Only Zech Medley’s goal-line clearance prevented Magennis from making it 2-0 with a looping header just after the hour but Magennis finally wrapped up the Tigers’ victory eight minutes from time as he met Honeyman’s free-kick to head past the luckless Bonham.

Gillingham: Bonham, McKenzie, Maghoma, Medley, Ogilvie, O’Keefe, Mellis (Robertson 46), Dempsey (Willock 64), Graham, Akinde, Coyle (Oliver 46). Unused substitutes: Tucker, Walsh, MacDonald, Woods.

Hull: Ingram, Emmanuel, Burke, De Wijs, Fleming, Smallwood, Docherty (Callum Jones 88), Wilks, Honeyman (Batty 83), Lewis-Potter, Magennis (Scott 83). Unused substitutes: Samuelsen, A Jones, McLoughlin, Cartwright.

Referee: A Woolmer (Northamptonshire).

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James Mitchinson