Following a comfortable victory over Birmingham City and securing back-to-back victories for the first time this season, even the most pessimistic Hull City supporter can surely be seeing green shoots of recovery at a football club desperately short on optimism in recent years.
Despite disappointment among the Tiger Nation that momentum was lost after defeating fellow strugglers Barnsley before the international break, the hosts began strongly with their pacy forward line causing the visitor’s defence all sorts of problems on the counter. The energetic midfield trio of Greg Docherty, George Honeyman and Richie Smallwood linked up well allowing for seamless transition from defence to attack.
Injuries could have conspired against the hosts with the news of Lewie Coyle's absence compounded by remaining available full backs Josh Emmanuel and Callum Elder both missing the game through illness. Grant McCann was left with little option but to start with a back three of Di’Shon Bernard, Sean McLoughlin and Jacob Greaves. The youthful trio made the most of their opportunity with confidence visible in how assured they were in possession and how impressively they contained the physicality of Troy Deeney and pace of Scott Hogan, a potent strikeforce at Championship level. On the one occasion the defensive line was breached, Nathan Baxter excelled on the first of many occasions throughout the encounter by denying Hogan from close range.
There was a controversial moment which centred around the opening goal. Ryan Longman carried the ball elegantly, twisting and turning his opponent before reaching the by-line. The ball clearly went out of play but neither referee nor assistant referee intervened and while Birmingham's players stood still, Longman played the ball back to the middle of the goal where Honeyman tapped in, much to the dismay of both the Blues’ players and travelling contingent. The delayed jubilation from the home crowd emphasised the surprise awarding of the goal.
Just before the stroke of half-time, midfielder Gary Gardner slid in late on Docherty which incensed the Scottish midfielder’s teammates, most notably Josh Magennis who marched over to remonstrate with Gardner. The two brushed foreheads before the Solihull-born man made a sudden movement with his head towards the Northern Irish forward leaving the official with little option but to upgrade the booking for the reckless challenge to a dismissal. This error of judgement was in sharp contrast to Gardner's previous contribution of a brace when the sides last met in July 2020.
Having been reduced to ten men, Birmingham's misery exacerbated after the interval as the hosts took further control. The homegrown duo of Keane Lewis-Potter and Jacob Greaves linked up well down the left. A clever positional switch seemed to confuse the opposing defenders as Lewis-Potter from the right-hand side provided a delightful cross for Mallik Wilks to head home just left of the far post. At that stage, the team wearing black and amber were cruising and the noticeably improved backing from three sides of the MKM Stadium drove them on with confidence cursing through their veins.
The second-half was marred by the Birmingham supporters electing to throw bottles on to the pitch from behind Nathan Baxter’s goal. Evidently a sign of frustration at their team’s pitiful display but inexcusable all the same. Much to the native’s amusement, Baxter chose to take a swig of one of the bottles to alleviate the situation.
The one concern for the team from East Yorkshire was Di’Shon Bernard’s fifth yellow card of the season which results in him missing the forthcoming trip to Cardiff City on Wednesday evening. Given the Tigers were already threadbare in defence before yesterday's encounter, Bernard’s suspension may well force his manager to promote one of the many promising youngsters on the club’s books should he opt to stick with a winning 3-5-2 formation for the trip to South Wales.
Victory over the West Midlands outfit was the start of six consecutive outings against sides in the bottom half of the Championship table. This run of fixtures signifies a major opportunity for The Tigers to pull clear of the relegation zone prior to the turn of the year which could well be accompanied by a new regime and renewed positivity among the fanbase.
All of City’s four victories have come against opposition in the lower reaches of the second tier, with impressive displays against Bournemouth and West Brom both towards the summit offering hope to the locals.
While some would feel that manager McCann is on borrowed time, recent performances have demonstrated a tactical flexibility which was often a criticism of the Ulsterman’s stubborn resistance to shift away from a 4-3-3 formation that failed to yield many points. On a human level, there must be some sympathy for the current boss’s predicament in challenging professional circumstances with developments among the hierarchy leaving his position in jeopardy.
In the coming weeks, City must persist with addressing the joint meagrest attack. They share the record with Yorkshire rivals Barnsley of scoring only 13 goals from 18 games. Conversely, with five shut-outs and 22 goals conceded, only 10 sides in the division have conceded fewer goals than the Tigers who have yet to experience a colossal defeat on their return to the second tier.
The noises coming from Acun Ilicali, the club’s prospective owner, have been met with largely widespread approval. The Turkish media mogul will be keen to witness a prolonged upturn in results to build excitement among the City following before his arrival is greeted with unwavering enthusiasm.
With the ever-growing belief that the curtain could soon be brought down on the Allam family’s rollercoaster 11-year tenure, maintaining the recent encouraging form will go a long way to perpetuating a feel-good factor that has been sadly lacking. In so doing, it would also likely entice many of the disillusioned black and amber congregation to reacquaint themselves with their footballing pilgrimage.
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