City get the Ilicali party started as new era kicks off with famous win
Pictures by Hull City
Hull City 2 - 0 Blackburn Rovers
Sky Bet Championship
By Sam Hawcroft, Hull City correspondent
The result really wouldn’t have mattered.
Playing a promotion-chasing side was always going to be a tough test, and the pre-match appearance of new owner Acun Ilicali, black and amber scarf aloft, was all City fans had dreamed of seeing. Nothing – nothing – was going to spoil tonight’s party.
But the Tigers more than stepped up to the occasion, and, to a man, they showed what this team is capable of when they fight for every last ball.
It couldn’t have been more different from the aberration against Stoke last Sunday – and the magical atmosphere played a huge part in sealing this most famous of victories.
City got off to the best possible start of this exciting new era in just the seventh minute. After some good build-up by Tom Eaves and Ryan Longman, George Honeyman somehow picked his way past numerous defenders and put a low shot past Thomas Kaminski, who got a touch to it but couldn’t prevent it creeping across the line.
There was a heart-stopping moment before the referee pointed to the centre circle, and the home crowd erupted in a kind of unbridled joy quite unseen for some time.
The club statement at 6pm finally announcing the takeover might have come too late for the most die-hard and cynical of Allam boycotters, but the crowd of around 13,000 was certainly swelled by a considerable number who’d returned, no doubt emotionally, after some years away.
In the 14th minute a powerful shot from the right by Ben Brereton Diaz drew a fantastic save from Nathan Baxter before a very late offside call prompted cheers from the City fans.
Things were pretty even in terms of possession and the Tigers looked far more assured than they had been against Stoke, but in the 24th minute they had a huge let-off when Di’Shon Bernard shoved over Brereton Diaz in the area. To the fury of the Blackburn fans and coaching staff, it wasn’t given. It did look among the stonewallest of stonewall penalties you’re likely to see, to be fair.
But as the half wore on, Blackburn were enjoying a bit more of the pressure, and five minutes later Scott Wharton headed well over from Joe Rothwell’s corner. Moments later Bernard redeemed himself, desperately flinging himself into the path of Reda Khadra’s goal-bound effort after Baxter had come well out of his area. In the 34th minute, a long-range cross-cum-shot from Wharton on the left stung the fingers of Baxter and forced a corner.
Rovers continued pressing after the break, attacking City’s goal in front of the sizeable away crowd right from the off, with Sean McLoughlin and Bernard among the players hurling themselves in the way of dangerous shots; the latter had the Rovers fans in the North Stand appealing for handball when it struck him in the penalty area. Again, no dice; this one was far less stonewally, but it cemented Bernard as Blackburn’s villain of the night. A night that they were growing to accept did not belong to them.
City managed to get more of a look-in as the hour-mark came along, and Longman missed a great chance to make it two when he fired wide of the right post from just a few yards out.
A rare mistake from McLoughlin saw him overhit the ball and put it out for a corner, but to City’s relief the danger was quickly snuffed out. Still, though, Rovers continued to throw just about everything they had at City in front of their increasingly frustrated fans; Tayo Edun had his shot smothered by Baxter in the 63rd minute.
But just as Blackburn were about to introduce all three substitutes at once, Tom Eaves stole their thunder - and put City in dreamland. From a long cross by Longman, the big number nine headed in from a tight angle to put the Tigers 2-0 up.
Moments later it was very nearly three after Kaminski pulled off a brilliant save to deny Honeyman from close range, and then Keane Lewis-Potter blazed over from the rebound. With nearly 10 minutes to go, the home fans wound the Rovers fans up even further by wheeling out the “Mauled by the Tigers” chant (though sticklers would argue this warrants a scoreline of at least three or four), and they even attempted an “ole!” or two.
In the 82nd minute, a free kick by Lewis-Potter from about 25 yards out soared over Blackburn’s defensive wall and just wide of the left post. Four minutes later, he went agonisingly close yet again, shooting wide of the right post from 20 yards. This was impressive, exciting stuff.
Six minutes of injury time were announced and still the Tigers threw themselves in the path of every attack, and still they continued to counter. Substitute Tyler Smith had a shot saved as they ran down the clock, by which time Blackburn had long realised the game was up.
What a night. There may be a few more unexplained absences than usual across the offices and factories of Hull tomorrow as the champagne flows well into the small hours. At last, exciting times have returned – could this end up being the best trip we’ve ever been on?
Buckle up – it’s going to be a hell of a ride…