Jaden fires Tigers into play-off berth with solitary strike against Lilywhites
WINNER: Jaden Philogene races off to celebrate after bagging the second-half winner against Preston. Pictures courtesy of Hull City
Hull City 1 - 0 Preston North End
Sky Bet Championship
MKM Stadium
Attendance: 24,267
By Sam Hawcroft, Hull City Correspondent
Jaden Philogene’s 68th-minute strike was the difference as Hull City ground out only their second home win of the season in front of a capacity crowd.
Just over 24,000 people – even more than turned out for the Leeds clash last month, the attendance buoyed by a “kids for a quid” offer – packed the MKM Stadium hoping for a home performance to match those on the road, where the Tigers have been significantly more successful.
It did look for a long time that it would be the same old story, though. Both teams started slowly in what would be a largely uneventful first half, during which neither 'keeper made a save. The first shot didn’t come until the eighth minute when Jaden Philogene latched on to a poor clearance by Preston keeper Freddie Woodman but saw his goal-bound shot blocked.
A couple of minutes later, Jordan Storey manhandled Liam Delap to the ground and, from the resulting free-kick about 25 yards out, Scott Twine teed it up only for Philogene to blast well over.
In the 13th minute, there were hearty cries for a penalty from the North Stand as Philogene appeared to be tripped, but the referee gave the free-kick the other way, shortly before another foul gave Twine a dead ball opportunity from 25 yards out. The free-kick specialist demonstrated a bit more of why he has earned that reputation as he struck a curling effort just wide of the right post.
Alan Browne then felt he was tripped at the other end, but as the 20-minute mark approached the Tigers were growing a little more into the game. Nevertheless, the threat of conceding an early goal against the run of play, something that’s happened all too often at the MKM Stadium this season, was always there – especially when Preston won a couple of corners in quick succession.
As the half wore on, there were few attacking forays of note; in the 36th minute Jean Michael Seri ballooned a long-range shot well over, before Philogene hit the side netting after doing well to dance into the area on the left – where he is most dangerous and unpredictable, dodging defenders this way and that, to the general astonishment of fans who still can’t quite believe he plays for City.
There was another penalty shout after Liam Millar went on a surging run down the left and into the area from the halfway line, chased by Alfie Jones, but again the contact looked minimal and the referee gave City the free kick.
As four minutes of first-half added time began, Millar advanced into the area again but was blocked by Lewie Coyle, and from the corner Ryan Allsop rose well to punch out.
Moments before the half-time whistle, the Tigers really should have been ahead as Philogene, played in by Seri’s fantastic defence-splitting ball, found himself through on goal – but for some reason he failed to pull the trigger and was eventually crowded out. From a cross by Twine, Delap then tried and failed to turn and get a shot away from a few yards out as he too was closed down.
Yet again, for all their possession in front of an expectant home crowd, City weren’t making it count. It was looking like it would be another frustrating afternoon.
Shortly after the restart, referee Lewis Smith turned down yet another penalty appeal – arguably the most convincing of the lot – as Browne and Jones tangled in the area, but it was all a bit six and two threes.
In the 50th minute, warm applause rang out from all sides of the stadium as a tribute to City fan Matthew Simpson, who took his own life aged 50 in August, was shown on the big screens.
Less than a couple of minutes later, Philogene drew the first save of the game with a powerful shot inside the area, and in the 55th minute a daisycutter from Jason Lokilo went about a yard wide of the right-hand post.
Millar shot wide after a great sliding intervention from Adama Traoré in the 64th minute – it had been Preston’s best attempt so far.
However, just as the visitors were beginning to enjoy a period of pressure, Philogene atoned for fluffing his lines earlier to put the Tigers ahead.
He raced into the area on the left and almost seemed to stumble, but this time he did unleash a strike from a fairly acute angle – and it cannoned off the right upright and into the net, raising the volume in the thus-far subdued home stands by a fair few notches.
Four minutes later, Jacob Greaves nearly scored a carbon-copy but his angled effort went inches wide of the right-hand post.
Preston threw everything they had at City in the latter stages as they went in search of the equaliser, and in the 77th minute Storey missed a great chance when he swung and struck wide in the middle of the area. Only the outstretched left boot of Allsop denied substitute Ched Evans in the 81st minute.
Two minutes from time, the ball bounced off Greaves in the Tigers’ own box, and the defender could only watch as it thankfully looped just over the bar.
Philogene was given a standing ovation as he was replaced by Ruben Vinagre with just a couple of the six added minutes to play. As those minutes became six, then seven, and more, the whistles from the Tigers fans, imploring the referee to blow for full-time, grew deafening. Please… not a repeat of the last-minute heartbreak against Southampton!
There was just one more Preston corner to defend… and, finally, that was that. It was not the prettiest or even most convincing of victories – but a victory it was, and a long-overdue one that lifted City back up to the lofty heights of sixth in the table.
Any more of this sort of thing and we’ll start to get back on the pundits’ radars…