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A rip roaring KC encounter sees the Cities of Hull and Bristol slug out a one-all draw in compelling circumstances. |
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In the end, this turned out to be an afternoon of disappointment, but disappointment for the Tigers rather than with them. For this was, overall, not at all a bad City performance, and one which continued the improvement we saw at Chesterfield over the horrors of Doncaster and Colchester. Generally speaking we looked hungry, worked hard, were better organised and nobody had a bad game. Particularly in the second half, we were by an appreciable margin the superior of the two teams, but yet again we were denied a full share of the spoils (which, unlike at Chesterfield, we would have deserved yesterday) through being punished by an isolated defensive error late on. For sure, Lady Luck is not smiling kindly on the Tigers’ efforts at present, and this fourth successive failure to chalk up a League win will no doubt result in a modest increase in sales of Chelsea shirts in the Greater Hull metropolis over the next few days, in many cases to individuals who have this season on numerous occasions seen the Tigers take all three points from a worse performance than yesterday’s. Not a lot we can do about that, for ‘twas ever thus in Hull but, if your correspondent may use the cliché, there’s no need to press the panic button; we’re in reasonably good shape, especially with the return of the goal machine drawing nearer, and, crucially, not losing ground compared with the other two front runners. On an afternoon on which a bitter wind rendered irrelevant the protestations of the stadium thermometer that the temperature was nine degrees, and on the somewhat threadbare Circle pitch which seems to have become the norm in the winter months, we carded a somewhat changed line-up from Tuesday, main talking point being the apparent dropping of Dawson:- Myhill City kicked off towards a slightly larger-looking Bristol following than the City contingent which had visited Ashton Gate earlier in the season (the overall attendance being a healthy 17 637) and, as has become the pattern of home games, camped the visitors in their won half early on. The closest we came in this spell was on four minutes, when a France cross was flicked down by Wilbraham to Stockdale, who had made a clever if unorthodox crossfield run inside, and the City right-back poked the leather just wide. By about the ten-minute mark though, the red shirts were starting to come into it, and on 11 the stylish Brooker, scourge of old of the Tigers, fired in a low shot which Myhill rendered safe only at the second attempt after some neat approach work. We responded though, and three minutes later Barmby took advantage of some slack Bristol work in the middle of the field to feed the inrushing Ellison, who from a position where he ought to have done a bit better blazed it high and wide. No doubt those of you who couldn’t make the Circle yesterday are anxious for news about the ex-Cestrian’s performance. Well, whisper it not too loudly, but after a start which did not bode well (apart from the above miss, Ellison’s contribution early on consisted of giving the ball away and defending ineptly, as per previous games), we did start to see some signs that maybe, perhaps, we may not after all have been sold a total pup; in fact I and many others around me were of the firm view that, after the first twenty minutes or so, the City number 24 had a decent game. Let’s hope this wasn’t a false dawn, because on the strength of much of what we saw in the final 70 minutes, we may after all be able to put him to good use. We’ll see. Anyway, back to the action, and after a spell of Bristolian supremacy, we suffered one of only two real scares, the goal apart, when some hesitant defending on the left side allowed an easy lay-off to Tinnion, who showed Ellison how it should be done from that range by hammering in a rising drive which Myhill did well to tip over the bar as it could easily have beaten him for sheer pace. Our visitors were looking a bit tasty at this point, and we started to look a bit edgy (ka-boom….tshhhh!) at the back, not least on 27 when Myhill failed to come for a cross which was so close to him it could have fetched the bogies out of his nostrils, but Cort, who yet again turned in an impeccable performance, stepped in to avert the danger. As so often happens with City, though, that seemed to act as a spur, and heralded a period of Tiger supremacy which was never really surrendered, one or two moments apart, at any time in the remainder of the game. And the chances duly started raining in. Our best work so far came on 31 when good passing out of defence allowed Ellison a cross which fell via Wilbraham’s challenge to Greeny, who laid off into the path of Lewis, who in turn sidefooted just the wrong side of the post. Then a last ditch tackle denied France, who had combined with Wilbraham and Barmby the spring the Bristol offside trap. Most agonisingly of all, on 38 a Barmby pass and Green run, both timed to perfection, saw the Cumbrian just beat the chasing defender to the ball and, at full stretch and from an awkward angle, clip the ball almost lazily over Bristol netman Phillips, stranded in no-mans land. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as the Circle rose to its feet and the leather arced downwards…only to rebound to safety off the bar. Fantastic skill, though. So, half time, and we might well have been in front, for despite a good Bristol spell in the middle of the half there were few moments of real danger, whereas City looked sharper and more incisive when going forward; all we lacked was a bit of luck and a steadier touch when in sight of goal. But back to the Bristol fans for a moment. Why do they sing so much about being from the West Country? Plymouth and Torquay are in the West Country; Bristol is in the South Midlands. It’s all a bit reminiscent of those ignoramuses from Teesside and Hartlepool you occasionally come across who think of themselves as Geordies. We start the second half where we left off. Greeny heads over from a bouncing France cross on 46, but we have a real let-off two minutes later when a needless Myhill punch from a cross (did he learn nothing from Tuesday?) is knocked back in and the ball is knocked across the face of the City goal for Lita, under pressure from a City defender, to bundle against the post. We roar back though, and on 50 France hits a real stinger just wide after good use of the advantage rule following a foul on Barmby allowed the attack to continue. This is a good spell, and the atmosphere in the Circle is as good as it’s been for a while, and no, I’m not referring to the constant reciprocal baiting of the soapdodgers in the north east corner, which subsided as the game wore on, no doubt as the effects of the Sunny Delight wore off, only to be sparked off again after our goal and then to be reignited, it appears, by yet more police ineptitude after the match. We are firing on all cylinders now. Cort heads powerfully at the keeper from a corner, and the Bristolian custodian then does well to foil France on 58 after Barmby had created the chance. But we were not to be denied, and on 59 an inch-perfect 70-yard ball from Delaney finds Stockdale, whose first-time cross from the by-line is turned in at the near post by Barmby, who alone gauged correctly the course of the cross and dropped back accordingly. Like a hot knife through butter. Nobody in this League can touch City when they’re in this sort of mood. We almost add to the lead a minute later when the keeper, under pressure form Barmby, spills a Junior ball and the ball drops to Greeny whose goalbound effort cannons behind off a defender’s legs. Worryingly, though, Barmby lies injured and is stretchered off, although early indications are that it was nothing more than a bad knock and the City number 8 will be on duty at Luton. But for once we press forward without the help of Barmby, and the harassed visitors are not being allowed to settle. On 69 a thumping Allsopp volley looks in all the way but flies just wide, and then we have the ball in the net on 73 but Greeny is pulled back, correctly, for offside. At this stage it looks to be only a question of how many we will score, as Bristol have scarcely been out of their half in twenty minutes, but there’s a bit of a warning sign on 74 when we give one of theirs too much room to turn in the box and find the side netting. This adds fuel to the forebodings of the more hard-bitten Tiger watchers that a single goal is too slender a lead, especially as we haven’t yet committed our inevitable defensive howler, and the gloomy scenario predicted takes but a further couple of minutes to come to dreadful fruition. Howlermonger in chief for this week was Stockdale, who, instead of getting behind a routine ball and hoofing it upfield, let it past him, maybe with a slight deflection, and into the path of Brooker, who squared to leave the tireless Lita with an easy finish from eight or so yards. This was hard on City for the way they had dominated easily 50 of the 76 minutes played, but just punishment for some slack defensive work. Taylor made a big thing of Stockdale’s admittedly dreadful error on the radio after the game, which some will say was justified as it cost us the win, but surely not when a similar Delaney error against Peterborough, which also resulted in a late equaliser being conceded, received not a word of on-air criticism. This sort of thing creates divisions "in the building", as you would no doubt put it, Peter. We continue to have the better of what’s left of the game, with the midfield promptings of Hessenthaler and the brute force of Facey introduced into the proceedings. The latter nearly pays off on 87 when Delroy picks the ball up on the right and charges into the box scattering Bristolians like skittles, but then loses his composure at the crucial moment and sends his shot into about Row P. Just into the four minutes of injury time, there’s one final chance which comes agonisingly close to proving decisive. A free on the left is curled quickly into the box by (I think) Hessenthaler, the Bristol defence is caught napping and Junior, at full stretch, heads the in-swinging ball into the bottom corner for what looks like a certain winner, only for the keeper to pull off an outstanding point-blank save. As we have become used to, the opposition celebrated the final whistle with their fans as though they had won the Cup, but equally the Tiger support was generous in its plaudits. The fair minded among the home fans knew that City had done more than enough to deserve all three points, and that on this showing the wins will soon start stacking up again. What better opportunity for that to happen than next week? |
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HULL CITY (4-4-2): Myhill; Stockdale, Cort, Delaney, Edge; France, Lewis, Green, Ellison; Barmby, Wilbraham. Subs: Allsopp (for Barmby, 62), Hessenthaler (for Stockdale, 79), Facey (for Wilbraham, 83), Duke, Price. Goals: Barmby 59 Booked: None Sent Off: None
BRISTOL CITY: Phillips, Smith, Carey, Ireland, Fortune, Murray, Tinnion, Orr, Brown, Lita, Brooker. Subs: Bell (for Brown, 68), Heffernan, Coles, Dinning, Wilkshire. Goals: Lita 76 Booked: Murray, Orr, Phillips Sent Off: None
REFEREE: E Evans ATTENDANCE: 17,637 |
Last revised: February 07, 2005