Although the performance was not as thrilling as Saturday's at Tranmere, the points haul was the same as the Tigers beat Hartlepool to open up a ten point gap between second and third places.

Long way to go … take each game as it comes … marathon not to a sprint …

Naahh. The Tigers are up! Let’s look at the facts. We are ten points clear in second place after this victory against a weary and disjointed looking Hartlepool side, ten points clear with ten games to go. So if Sheffield Wednesday and Tranmere Rovers register two points per game from here on in – the promotion par for the course – then City need 12 points to see them off. Four wins in ten games. We’ll get more. We’re great. We’re going to the Championship. I foresee that Walsall away will clinch it, history repeating itself in that dour West Midlands town 20 years after our last elevation to the second tier of English league football.

This match may not have been a footballing classic but it was the sort of evening that defines a promotion season – good form encourages the opposition to line up defensively, pressure play pins the opposition into their half for much of the game, take your lucky breaks when they come. Because while City carved out a series of great scoring chances that were spurned, the one that they took was far from cut and dried. A Dawson free-kick from halfway was challenged in the box by France but the ball was cleared. As it was lifted back into the danger area France tipped the ball into space by the Pools defender Clark closed it down and headed into neutral territory wide of the penalty box. His header was downwards and there was perhaps a slight contact with his hand as the ball span away. The linesman immediately flagged for a harsh handball penalty.

Unfazed by the hullabaloo that ensued as the Pools player – with some justification – showered the referee and linesman with complaints, Stuart Elliott stepped up to ram home the penalty with that jack-hammer shot of his. Well, no actually, he tamely side footed his penalty to Provett’s left, who effected a diving save to claw the ball to the edge of the six yard box, safe in the knowledge that his onrushing defenders would clear it. Well, no actually, no defender reacted and Elliott was left alone to tap the ball into an empty net. In truth Provett’s save was regulation standard and he should have either held on to it or diverted it wide, not plop it into the centre of his unguarded goal. He then went on to have an absolute stinker of a game, he barely held a shot or cross first time for the rest of the match, pinnacling with a near own goal of top comedy proportions – more of that soon.

It has often been said by armchair commentators that City have the luxury of a big squad and we can rotate players without diminishing performance. Those same armchair commentators are then often apt to accuse Peter Taylor of “tinkering” when he makes use of that squad by rotating his first team for midweek fixtures. Well that’s what he did last night, four changes made from Saturday’s Tranmere demolition crew, and no discernible reduction in quality or organisation arose. Superb tactical management by Taylor.

Myhill
Stockdale Cort Delaney Dawson
France Ashbee Hessenthaler Elliott
Fagan Barmby

And it’s pleasing to report that some of City’s best performances came from the new introductions. Fagan played the full 90 and looked sharp, agile and pacy throughout. He offers all the capabilities rolled into one 5 foot 11 inch frame that all City’s other strikers bring – the predatory instinct of Allsopp (warmly applauded at half-time as he bade his last farewell to the KC before heading back Down Under), the strong running of Facey, the hold-up play of Walters and Wilbraham’s ability to tie his own laces and count to ten in Japanese. Good larker this Fagan - keep him fit, send him out every week, feed the Craig and he will score.

Hessenthaler also had a tremendous game, by far his best performance of his short spell in Black and Amber. He scurried around the middle third with great effect, breaking down Pools play despite being outnumbered (the away side sported an unadventurous 3-6-1 formation for a game that they simply had to win if they believed they could still go up automatically) and playing clever short passes throughout. For a small man he also wins a remarkable share of headers, a testament to his spirit and will to succeed. Well played Hess!

While the first shot of the game came from Hartlepool’s lone striker Boyd, a 25 yard effort that looped over the bar, the Tigers soon got into their stride and the opening quarter of the game was played almost exclusively in Pools’ half. They had packed their midfield with strikers Porter, Williams and Humphries, at face value a bizarre decision but one no doubt thrust upon their admirable manager Neale Cooper by injury setbacks at this crucial spell of the season. And while they ceded the tiger’s share of possession to City, they proved a difficult nut to crack apart from the penalty incident after 12 minutes. When City did break through it was generally thanks to the skilful promptings of Nick Barmby – the evidence of last night was that when he starts to play well, City play well. In the opening minutes one flash, a dizziness-inducing rapid fire interchange of passes between Barmby, France and Fagan set the former free in space on the edge of the box, but his curling shot swerved just wide of the far post.

Soon after the penalty the referee, sensing that his decision may have been a little shaky and keen to even matters up, gave a free kick to Hartlepool 25 yards out after Hessenthaler executed a superb, and obviously fair, lunging tackle to dispossess the dangerous but often disinterested Boyd. With their deadly set piece taker Robertson on the injured list, it was left to midfielder Strachan to blat the ball through the wall but straight at Myhill. After this Porter and Boyd started to exert more attacking influence and City were pushed back rather, but no clear cut chances were made. In the end Porter withdrew again to his wide left midfield role – at a time when he looked his most dangerous I thought – and what attacking threat there was faded.

As the half drew to a close City made a series of rapid fire chances that very nearly saw them suck on their half time orange segments with an unassailable lead. The catalyst for this was a momentary panic in the City box when a clever touch by Boyd in the penalty box set Porter free in far too much space, centre of goal and 12 yards out. Thankfully the appallingly coiffeured Aussie scuffed his shot horribly and Myhill was able to effect a routine save. This scare sparked City into action and from Myhill’s clearance Fagan was set free on the left to rampage towards goal. This he did with glee, reaching the penalty area to find both Barmby and Ashbee in the centre unmarked. Fagan dutifully centred cleverly but Barmby ducked a routine header into an open goal and Ashbee, disorientated by this generosity, shinned an apologetic shot wide.

More to come. Dawson feeds Fagan who shows us his trademark flick-round-the-corner-and-turn-sharply-to-chase-it routine, and his shot from a narrow angle rolls agonisingly wide. A minute later Dawson again initiates danger, crossing invitingly only for France to head just over. Then Elliott heads another cross just over in his usual shot-from-a-cannon style, but not before Barmby plays the ball of the night, a curling and spinning back flick that initially appears to be sailing into touch for a goal kick but which actually has sufficient spin and bite to sit up sumptuously for the advancing France to cross.

So the Tigers went in at half time totally dominant and ready to extend their one goal lead at any moment. But as the second half came and went that cutting edge was dulled by Hartlepool’s defensive formation and the game entered a phase of few noteworthy moments. Barmby found France in space but the youngster dithered when he could have shot, and from the resulting tackle Boyd was set free down the left but a surgically precise Cort tackle eliminated the threat. Strachan struck a free kick from the left side just wide of the far post after Cort tugged the shirt of his opponent on the edge of the box, then Elliott has a half-chance to shoot after Barmby fed Hessenthaler in space but the effort went over. During this 25 minute spell the main entertainment came from a small group of very pikey-ish Pools fans that were taking a verbal pasting from the terrace wits in E9. A rather amply waisted and nightclub be-garbed lady was a particular target of some hurtful commentary by the Tigery massive, an interchange that culminated in her being carted out by stewards after lifting her top to reveal a disappointingly droopy and bra-encased pair of breasts. You’ll always see something new at every game of football.

As the last 20 minutes approached Hessenthaler was set up to shoot by good work by France and Fagan, but his shot was mis-hit terribly and span high and wide taking a winding trajectory last seen when firing a childhood beach-bought plastic football a distance any greater than 10 yards. Barmby challenged for a knee-high ball on halfway and received a nasty looking kick on the ankle, and as he hobbled around Ellison was readied to come on. Nick last contribution to the match was a lovely nutmeg on halfway that opened up an entire quadrant of the pitch for his frolicking and delectation. Barmby dribbled unchallenged into the box before squaring to Elliott whose rolled shot hit the inside of the far post and rebounded towards the prone Provett in goal. Such was Provett’s butterfingeryness that he contrived to divert the ball goalwards again, only clawing the ball away for a corner as it reached the City goal-line for what was very nearly a strong contender for comedy own goal of the season.

Barmby off and Ellison on, the latter picking up from where he left off on Saturday with some nice touches and rampaging running, sometimes – but not always - with the ball entirely under his control. Hartlepool had a bit of a go and threw players forward, bringing on the ex-Stockport elbow merchant Daly and eventually pushing baldy ex-Tiger target (and frankly rather average looking centre back) Nelson up top. But other than two rather hairy goalmouth scrambles, one with ten minutes to go and the other in stoppage time, there was little threat to Myhill’s goal. Indeed City very nearly sealed the win with 8 left on the clock as Elliott first galloped down the left and sent away a fulminating drive that Provett saved, then from the ensuing melee headed straight at the keeper with a free header and the goal beckoning.

Pools looked like a half-decent team playing poorly, too many passengers in the advanced positions. But that said City found them hard to break down and it is a tribute to the Tigers’ attacking prowess that we made so many chances – just a shame they were all wasted bar one. This is just the sort of win that Luton have been grinding out all season, and just the sort of win that promotions are built on. Good side, Luton. Good side, Hull City. Successive promotions on the cards, history being made. Good manager that Taylor.

HULL CITY (4-4-2): Myhill; Stockdale, Cort, Delaney, Dawson; France, Ashbee, Hessenthaler, Elliott; Fagan, Barmby.  Subs: Ellison (for Barmby, 79), Lewis (for Dawson, 90), Price, Edge, Duke.

Goals: Elliott 14

Booked: None

Sent Off: None

HARTLEPOOL UNITED: Provett, Barron, Nelson, Clark, Brackstone, Williams, Strachan, Sweeney, Humphreys, Boyd, Porter.  Subs: Craddock (for Barron, 76), Daly (for Strachan, 84), Robson (for Brackstone, 88), Low, Konstantopoulos.

Goals: None

Booked: None

Sent Off: None

REFEREE: M Thorpe

ATTENDANCE: 17,112