Oxford United 1 Hull City 1: Tigers have to settle for point as battling U's again show prowess against big-hitters

Hull City were minded to be aware ahead of a fair-sized trip south, although it was not necessarily anything to do with issues on the nation’s highways and byways.

It did have plenty to do with the team they were visiting in Oxford United, with the Tigers’ rivals at the top end of the Championship having all previously encountered bumps in the road at the Kassam Stadium.

The lowly U’s had previously beaten Ipswich Town and Southampton on home soil with Coventry City, Middlesbrough and Millwall also dropping points at the three-sided venue.

Hull can also now vouch for their acumen and on a day when their performance was largely below-par in windy conditions, a draw was the very most they deserved. And it was a good one in the circumstances.

Oxford, in fairness, could certainly venture they had the greater claims to merit three precious survival points on the day.

They had to settle for one and remain in the drop zone.

An early opener from Mo Belloumi, who crowned his first league start since Boxing Day with his maiden goal, was as good as it got for City.

Cameron Brannagan soon levelled from the spot after Charlie Hughes felled Will Lankshear.

On a long weekend where there is national spotlight on Oxford and Hull in a sporting sense - by virtue of the Boat Race and the 250th Hull derby in rugby league - supporters of the cities’ football teams had other predominant interests at both ends of the table.

Mindful that Hull’s international brigade had next to no preparation time for this Good Friday fixture, Sergej Jakirovic was pragmatic in his team selection, making five changes.

Still, the move which saw Dillon Phillips handed a league debut in goal with Ivor Pandur rested after returning from two non-playing substitute appearances with Croatia was certainly a headline one.

More especially given the major threat posed by the hosts from set-plays - with understandings between backlines against these sorts of opponents often being key. Phillips justified the decision.

Liam Millar who also linked up with their club-mates at their team hotel in Oxford on Thursday afternoon, also reverted to the bench for City.

The start was picture-perfect for Hull; perhaps too perfect.

It proved a false dawn and while Belloumi looked a clear threat whenever he was up against Huddersfield Town loanee Ruben Roosken - whose defensive decision-making left a fair bit to be desired - Oxford won plenty more individual battles across the park in a very game first-half performance, aside from the concession.

The U’s were first to most things in the middle of the field and were far more aggressive and possessed a willing runner and threat up top in Lankshear and energy on the flanks.

Their game plan was a sound one, while several Hull players looked off it, by contrast. Although they did have Belloumi.

Early on, he latched onto Semi Ajayi’s raking long ball and profited from Roosken’s misjudgement, cutting inside Ciaron Brown before finishing in style.

The majority of the rest of the half was Oxford’s, although Hull picked up late on.

The penalty call was the right one with Will Hughes getting it wrong with a mistimed challenge which felled Lankshear after he was played in by Jamie Donley.

Brannagan netted emphatically from the spot scoring for the second successive home game after a foul on Lankshear, who spurned a chance soon after, heading over at the far post at full-stretch.

Donley fired off target and Phillips blocked Myles Peart-Harris before Belloumi renounced himself to open up the U’s and set up Kyle Joseph, but Jamie Cummings got his angles right.

On the restart, Oxford went close through the aerial route through ex-Terriers defender Michal Helik - a discernible threat in the box throughout his career in, whose effort flew over under pressure before Phillips was called into significant work to turn away a fine long-ranger from the excellent Brannagan.

At the other end, Crooks hooked over for Hull, with Belloumi having a new minder in Brodie Spencer, an upgrade from Roosken defensively.

Jakirovic freshened it up from the bench, as he looked for that moment of quality to deflate a home side who had put a colossal amount of effort into their performance.

Creditably, the U’s persisted and made changes themselves and it was two of their substitutes who went closest to a winner.

Mark Harris was a picture of anguish after stabbing wide at the far post before Phillips kept out Will Vaulks’ long-ranger.

Oxford United: Cumming; Long, Helik, Brown, Roosken (Spencer HT); Konak (Vaulks 77), Brannagan; Mills, Donley (Harris 77), Peart-Harris (Joen 76); Lankshear (Prelec 90+3). Substitutes unused: Ingram, Placheta, Makosso, McDonnell.

Hull City: Phillips; Drameh, Ajayi, Hughes (Egan HT), Coyle; Lundstram (Collyer 83), Crooks; Belloumi (Dowell 64), Gelhardt (Koumas 64), Joseph (Millar 83); McBurnie. Substitutes unused: Pandur, Hadziahmetovic, McNair, McCarthy.

Referee: O Langford (West Midlands).

Attendance: 11,477