Plucky Conference side Morecambe gave City a good run for their money, leading twice as the Tigers' defensive frailities continue.  In the end the class of City's front players, and a well celebrated winner for the barren Jon Walters, saw City into the Second Round.

Three minutes into injury time Morecambe manage one last huzzah, a run down the left on weary legs, a decent cross and a stooping header sent wastefully wide from eight yards by substitute Carlton. With the away side trailing 3-2 this was the last deflating moment of the day for a handsome gathering of away supporters. Morecambe were able to muster approaching twice the numbers of fans for this Cup game than Bradford did for a recent top of the table League clash, and I suspect they all enjoyed their day out by the sea. Because had Carlton headed the ball into the net and equalised at 3-3 it might not have been entirely undeserved. City's players had spent 90 minutes trying to do just enough to see off their foes - I suspect this wasn't the manager's instruction, it certainly wasn't the chairman's - and for the most part failed, because Morecambe were a powerful but well drilled side for whom the wide-arsed Curtis and the busy Walmsley stood out. They led for 54 of the 90 minutes and were level for all but the other four. A replay back on t'other side of the Pennines wouldn't have been a travesty of justice over the 90.

In the end though, City's front five were a bit too good for the Conference side and when City managed to organise themselves to deliver spurts of sustained possession the away side simply had no answer. Morecambe lined up 3-6-1, packing midfield but leaving space down their flanks in the final third to be exploited. City singularly failed to test this obvious weakness for much of the game, Elliott was effective but rarely used while Green drifted in field far too much, snarling himself up in the midfield traffic jam that Morecambe's motorway middle lane hugging tactics created.

City lined up with one change, badge-kissing Irishman Keane replacing the resting Lewis, who warmed the bench. So with 4-4-2 and one of two (Barmby) dropped in behind the other we carded:

Myhill
Joseph Cort Delaney Dawson
Green Ashbee Keane Elliott
Allsopp Barmby

On the coldest day of the season so far the game took time to warm up. City used their new kick-off routine, Barmby's seven seconder last week giving the last one plenty of national televised exposure. The new one has instantly been christened the "what the hell was that supposed to achieve?" as Keane takes the ball from the centre spot and runs towards the away team bench until tackled or he reaches the Upper West Tier, whichever comes first. Needs more work, lads.

Morecambe found a bit of early joy down our left with Curtis having the upper hand over Joseph while City constructed a few nice passing triangles in the first ten minutes without creating much. On nine minutes one such triangle resulted in Green sprinting down the inside left channel but his cross was blocked for a corner that was duly wasted. Seconds later Morecambe won their first corner but wasted it wasn't - the ball was struck inswinging and deep and centre-back Bentley rose pretty much unimpeded to plant the meatiest of thumping headers into the roof of the net for 1-0. This understandably led to unrestrained scenes in the away fans' stand while the City fans were muted pretty much profoundly.

The City players responded OK though and started to get their passing game going. Crosses from wide appeared the best chance - no surprise with the Shrimpers' wing-backs pushed forward - and when Joseph sent in one of several tantalising crosses into the box the ball fell to Barmby. Alas Nicky couldn't sort out his feet in time and the ball ricocheted from boot to face to goal-line. But while it looked attractive it achieved little and Morecambe continued to look dangerous when they approached our nervous looking defence. And then, from nothing, a goal.

Barmby and Green combined down the right and the shaggy headed Westmorlander cut inside onto his left foot, rode a challenge then from 22 yards looped a delightful shot over the keeper's despairing dive into the roof of the net at the far post. It was a quite sumptuous finish that was completely out of character compared with the professional but rather laboured fare that City had served up before. Green really is a splendidly exciting player, able to galvanise our team with one swish of his left peg.

The game now changed utterly. City passed one touch balls around at will and Morecambe seemed to barely have a touch for ten minutes. A decent - but by no means certain - handball claim was denied as Blackburn blocked a Dawson cross, then Allsopp had a rather weak header saved low to the keeper's right after Barmby again set the overlapping Joseph free in space to cross accurately. Green played a one-two with Allsopp before shooting too close to the keeper and a goal to take the lead looked on the cards as half-time approached. But Morecambe were made of stern stuff and in stoppage time Walmsley had a shot blocked by Cort and the resulting corner was appallingly dealt with by the City defence as a low cross traversed the entire six yard box at knee height before being scrambled away by, I think, Dawson.

The half-time break passed without major event, although the absence of Lewis from the substitutes' half-time keepy-uppy game suggested that perhaps the game had ended for Keane, who had had another nightmare of missed tackles and woeful passes in the first period. In the end Keane did re-emerge for the second half and, as it turned out, I'm jolly glad he did because he was amongst City's most effective second half performers.

Initially the second half aped the first, cagey opening jabs seeing Morecambe carrying marginally greater threat. Ashbee had a powerful shot from outside the box blocked for a corner and Keane chipped over after good marauding by Dawson. But on the hour a goalkeepers' clearance was flicked on by a Shrimper on halfway and as the City fans whispered "where the hell is Joseph" the former Manchester United trainee Twiss advanced unimpeded down the inside left channel. "I really would like to know where Joseph is" the City fans muttered as Twiss entered our box and drove a nice shot low past Myhill into the far corner of the net. "There's Joseph!" cried an observant City fan pointing towards the vicinity of the halfway line as the scoreboard flashed up "1-2". "Thank goodness he's been found" the East Stand sighed, with relief.

Behind once more and again City raised their game a notch or two. Barmby was brave enough to attack a Joseph cross and head wide as three Morecambe centre backs all tried to clear the ball using various methods. Then Taylor acted by substituting the ineffectual Allsopp for Walters, and swapping the found-again Joseph for the "might stay in his position with a bit of luck" France.

Instant results. Walters chased an aimless ball on the right wing, passed to Elliott - who by now was playing up front with Keane going left and Barmby playing as attacking midfielder - and received a return pass at the byline. Jonny Boy pulled back a cross behind Morecambe's defensive threesome to Keane who lifted a clever shot into the roof of the net from sixteen yards. Parity restored in glorious fashion and Walters, picking up where he left off a month ago in the LDV at Hartlepool, putting in an impressive display of hard work, willing running, strength in possession and the ability to play the ball to team-mates in advanced position. Walters matched Allsopp's 65 minutes' worth of achievement within 30 seconds, then went on to exceed it many fold in the following 25 minutes. With Facey worth a return to the first team fold next week, surely Walters is now third choice striker ahead of the dispirited Allsopp.

With Morecambe now tiring visibly, and three substitutions for the away team seemingly upsetting their organisation, City took a stranglehold on the game. Elliott drove a shot over the bar and then Walters raced down the right and squared to Elliott who was on the point of shooting home when Bentley performed a lunging clearance off the Ulsterman's toe-end. With four minutes to go City cleared their lines and Keane found space before placing a clever ball through to Walters. Thirsty yards from goal and with two defenders nearby Jon Boy still had much to do, but he showed strength and resolve to withstand a challenge before slipping the ball past Sollitt's left hand into the net from 18 yards out. A expulsion of relief was experienced by the home support, partly due to the winner being delivered, partly due to Walters ending his first team goal drought that had spanned a mighty nine months. City had no further chances to score. Morecambe had one, but spurned it.

Stand-out performances were not numerous, but Keane had a decent second half while Walters really did look the part, albeit against tired defenders. Green was great when we had the ball and were stroking it around, but he drifted away from his right sided berth too often when Morecambe were pressing forward. Dawson was poor both in the tackle and in possession, Allsopp's performance started average and declined alarmingly. Jamie Heard, Morecambe's right wing back and former City junior, looked a bit like Steve McManaman, had a neat line in jinking step-overs but demonstrated a complete absence of end-product from all his efforts.

In the bag for Sunday afternoon, Scunthorpe at the KC would be nice, Histon away would be nicer.

HULL CITY (4-4-2): Myhill; Joseph, Cort, Delaney, Dawson; Green, Ashbee, Keane, Elliott; Barmby, Allsopp.  Subs: France (for Joseph, 65), Walters (for Allsopp, 65), Price, Lewis, Duke.

Goals: Green 30; Keane 66; Walters 86

Booked: Dawson

Sent Off: None

MORECAMBE: Sollitt, Heard, Bentley, Swan, Blackburn, Perkins, Hunter, Walmsley, Curtis, Twiss, Thompson.  Subs: McFlynn (for Swan, 71), Carlton (for Thompson, 76), Rogan (for Heard, 88), Howard, Stringfellow.

Goals: Bentley 12; Twiss 60

Booked: None

Sent Off: None

REFEREE: C Olivier

ATTENDANCE: 10,129