A well organised Doncaster side, with only one fewer defeat suffered this season compared with the Tigers, give a good account in front of the KC's record crowd, before a defensive error and a flash of Elliott brilliance conspired to see the home side win again.

We've enjoyed, in recent weeks, the breaking of Brentford, the mauling of Macclesfield, the whipping of Wednesday, the controlling of Colchester, the traumatising of Tranmere and the blitzing of Blackpool - every one a victory, but each one achieved in a different way and as such revealing just how versatile the Tiger has become in the noble art of the despatchment of opponents according to the circumstances of the particular game. Now, after last night's encounter at a seething Circle, we can add to the above the disappointing of Doncaster. If I may elaborate, we were not, as a whole, at our best last night, with too many players either having a generally-off day or being guilty of uncharacteristically-poor judgement at critical times, whilst our opponents, backed by a large and vociferous following, were hard-working and organised, much as they were last season and, if truth be told, a little hungrier for it than the Tiger, who looked a touch sated by the feastings of recent weeks. In all honesty, Donny can feel very hard done by in leaving town empty-handed, but garner the points City did, and in so doing demonstrated possibly the most valuable skill of all for would-be promotees - the ability to eke out a win when the performance doesn't warrant it.

The starting card revealed one change from the XI which started at Bloomfield Road:-

Myhill
Joseph Cort Delaney Edge
Green Ashbee Keane Elliott
Allsopp Barmby

After your correspondent had blessed the fates for allowing him to make the kick-off after an horrendously slow journey along Anlaby Road and into the Walton Street car park (anyone know what the problem was - certainly the procession of police-escorted Donny buses into the car park via the main entrance didn't seem to help?) City kicked off towards the 4 000 or so Donnyites in the North Stand with the usual move, which almost paid off as Greeny laid off to Joseph, who laid off to Ash, who curled one an agonising inch beyond Alllsoop as the away defence stood and marvelled. But the game soon settled into the pattern it retained for much of the evening, with our visitors hustling away in midfield and City content to be patient and wait for the errors to materialise. Around the quarter-hour mark there was a bit of incident, as first a slick Donc move down the inside-right channel ended with one of those shots into the side netting that looks from certain angles as though it's gone in (and sure enough a good few of the away support fell for it to the delight of the East Stand), while a minute later Edge and Elliott combined well, leading to the Ulsterman's cross being hooked just wide by Allsop, an effort which might have been more successful if Super Dan and Greeny hadn't got in each other's way.

But then, on 21, the Tigers struck to produce one absolutely out of nothing in the way in which it seems only we in this League can. A scrappy little interlude ended when Joseph, at full stretch, cut out a pass intended for the Donny wide man. The ball fell for Elliott who, with the air of a man with all the confidence in the world and totally revelling in his game, skipped nimbly past a couple of challenges and hared goalwards down the middle of the field. The Donny rearguard knew who the danger man was and sought to crowd him out, in the process allowing Alsop to run into space and receive what you will undoubtedly read somewhere else was a slide rule Elliott pass. Suddenly it was the Aussie versus Donny custodian Warrington. A hush seemed to descend over the Circle as Super Dan steadied himself, but this was soon supplanted by a veritable crescendo as the City number 10 planted the ball confidently under the advancing keeper and into the bottom far corner.

We then had a good spell for a few minutes, with Elliott snatching at a chance as he found himself in space on the right, but the game resumed its pattern in a manner not unreminiscent of the corresponding encounter last season, with not a lot from Donny in the way of 24-carat goalmouth threat, but with them still having enough of the play to make us uncomfortable, especially with a number of Tigers (Barmby, Ashbee, Delaney, Joseph, Green in particular) not having a good day and Myhill's kicking reaching Wilsonesque levels of inaccuracy. Nonetheless, we were the next to go close, as a weak effort from Elliott following a corner was headed on by Delaney only to be cleared off the line, before the Doncs responded on 42 with a move down the right with City slow to react resulting in a dangerous low cross from the by-line which Myhill pouched safely.

But then, in first half injury time, they score. Bad, bad, bad. Bad because Ashbee, still narked by a foul on him a minute or two earlier, didn't need to go in late on Donny left back Ryan in a central position 25 yards from goal as the latter had already hit the ball weakly out of play and killed the move in the process. Bad because the subsequent booking for Ash will rule the City skipper out of the next game and no doubt herald the return of the love-child on Saturday. And bad because Myhill's positioning for the free kick defied all comprehension, with so much of the left hand side of the goal left uncovered that he might as well have stuck up a neon sign with the invitation "Please kick the ball here". Donny full-back Mulligan did indeed kick the ball there.

The second half started in generally lacklustre fashion, although a City corner on 48 bobbled across the away box with no-one able to add the finishing touch. We were struggling still to stamp any kind of authority on our blue-clad visitors, clearly buoyed up by their goal, and came close to going behind on 52 when Myhill saved well from a McIndoe header, following a somewhat harshly-awarded free kick. The latter, incidentally, was wearing a ludicrous pair of blue tights which, given that the temperature remained a balmy eleven degrees throughout, were presumably being sported for reasons of sexual gratification as opposed to personal comfort.

This was the Doncster's best spell, but we weathered it and on 55 Joseph got Alllsop way down the right, but the Aussie spooned his effort over. The respite was brief, though, and a yellow card for Myhill could easily have been red when the City netman took out Roberts outside the box after a weak Delaney header had let Donny in.

It was now becoming absorbing, end-end stuff, though. An Alssoppp effort was deflected wide after Dan had pounced on confusion in the Donny box, and then Elliott hammered one just over from a similar position to where he hit his first from on Boxing Day. A minute later, on 65, we give them too much space as across is cleared and the resulting long-range effort looks in all the way but flies inches wide with the diving Myhill beaten. But the Tigs roar back, Edge weaves into the box, squares to Greeny 12 yards out, who looks up, picks his spot, and.....YEEEAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!. I still say it passed through a hole in the net.

The ascendancy now swings back Doncaster's way, as a curiously-ragged and disorganised looking City give their visitors far too much space to sweep forward in waves, and McSporran should do better on 75 when he is put in space on the right (one of the notable features of City's defending all night was the extent to which Edge never seemed to be in position, with Donny having lots of space on their right as a result)

The mood among the City fans became even more sombre with 10 minutes left when Barmby foolishly retaliated after getting on the wrong end of a McSporran clattering. The Donc walked for a second yellow, while Barmby - for the first time in his career, it is said, received a straight red. Much of the talk this morning is of an appeal on Barmby's behalf on the grounds that no hands were used: whilst true enough (the assault was more the sort of thing you would see in a Sumo wrestling ring), this misses the point. It was still violent conduct and referee Taylor got both decisions spot-on.

So, we'd hang on for the draw, then? Yeah, right. Five minutes left, and Myhill produces the save of the evening to tip one round his left-hand post. The resulting corner is hoofed clear eventually towards Mulligan. Normally City would sit back and wait for the ball to be knocked back in, but there must have been some voice in Elliott's head telling him that a hash was about to be made of this one and, as the Ulsterman set off in pursuit, Mulligan failed spectacularly to bring the bouncing ball under control, and in the blink of an eye the mercurial City number 7 had collected the ball, rounded the Donc centre half Dooley, and was bearing down on Warrington. The chasing pack were closing in, Alsoop was screaming for the square ball, the City faithful were roaring their encouragement, and the calmest man in the place simply dinked right, then left, then as Warrington advanced poked the ball almost nonchalantly underneath him and into the bottom of the onion bag. Total Tiger Mayhem.

Nothing much happened in the rest of normal time, but, as the City team retreated and then got in each other's way in characteristic fashion, the three minutes of injury time yielded three very real scares. Firstly Boaz had to dive bravely at the feet of a Donc. Secondly, a goalbound-looking effort was blocked. Thirdly the Donc 20 fired just over. But we made it.

Not a classic performance, but a pulsating evening all round in which our resilient visitors played a very full part and which augurs well for the return in three short weeks' time (but why can't we have back to back derbies at holiday times now like we did when I was a lad?) . Genuine commiserations to them, (excepting that graceless git who rang in to 5 Live) but ultimately the night was ours. Just savour it. 50 League points already. A 13-point gap between second spot and the one-time runaway leaders now whittled down to two. The gap between second and third widening. A crowd of 24 117, the highest for a City game at the Circle, with the promise of another huge gate when Udders hit town on Saturday. Still in the Cup.

In the words of the post-match music, you'd better smile.

HULL CITY (4-4-2): Myhill; Joseph, Cort, Delaney, Edge; Green, Ashbee, Keane, Elliott; Barmby, Allsopp.  Subs: Price (for Keane, 45), Angus (for Joseph, 70), Walters (for Allsopp, 72), Duke, Lewis.

Goals: Allsopp 21;  Elliott 86

Booked: Ashbee, Edge, Joseph, Myhill

Sent Off: Barmby

DONCASTER ROVERS: Warrington, Mulligan, Albrighton, Foster, Ryan, McSporran, Doolan, Green, McIndoe, Johnson, Roberts.  Subs: Blundell (for Albrighton, 89), Morley, Rigoglioso, Ravenhill, Jones.

Goals: Mulligan 45

Booked: Doolan, McSporran, Ryan

Sent Off: McSporran

REFEREE: P Taylor

ATTENDANCE: 24,117