The Tigers dig in at St Mary's a earn a hard-fought point from a goalless draw.

It has been fascinating to witness events at Hull City in recent weeks. A young man with a potentially great career in front of him is at the helm, but he has been put under unbelievable pressure to succeed by sections of the City faithful at a time when results have conspired to undermine him. A new man has now been brought into the team by the faceless suits that ultimately pull the strings and only time will tell whether this usurper’s emergence in the last week will spell the end for the incumbent.

With so much riding on his every word, Alex Burgess must be bricking it.

Alas I was not able to enjoy the pleasure of Burgess’s latest commentary yesterday, surely the only definitive commentary that the Tiger Nation can really rely upon. Instead I had to console myself with what is very much second best – I went to St Mary’s Stadium and witnessed the game live from the away end. And I’m pleased to say that the whole thing was a rewarding experience – despite some early morning difficulties with a indigestible pizza – because Hull City appear to have taken the debacle of last Saturday’s Sunderland capitulation, marked it on their Shoot 2006/7 season calendar as “Low Point Of The Season” and determined that things should get better from here on in. The Tigers spent two-thirds of the game matching their more illustrious and cash-rich South Coast colleagues – City shaded the first half – then rode their luck in the closing minutes with a non-Titanic defensive display as the Southampton iceberg rumbled forward for a winner. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the Saints had claimed a winner late on, they probably deserved it on balance, but this was a great Tiger display that rewarded those who travelled many miles to cheer their new found heroes on.

Emerging from the tunnel to defend stoutly under a crisp blue sky scarred only by the pink-tinged jet streams of Florida-bound aircraft were:

Myhill
Ricketts Turner Coles Dawson
Fagan Delaney Jarrett Marney Elliott
Parkin

Parkin led the line alone up front, Delaney and Marney supported him from midfield whenever possible, Fagan and Elliott raced forward to form auxiliary strikers when we had possession and Jarrett stayed back to keep things tidy and pay particularly close attention to the dangerous ex-Ram Idiakez. Danny Coles was restored to not-quite-full-fitness (he was spotted limping once or twice but soldiered on) and returned for the suspended Mills.

Within the first minute Idiakez’s ability to pull the midfield strings was demonstrated as he ghosted into space and played two incisive passes before a Skacel snapshot was blocked by the lunging Dawson. Skacel went on to impress throughout the 90 minutes with a pacy and skilful man of the match performance on the left side of midfield, raiding into the City box whenever the occasion arose. We never really got to grips with the nippy Czech despite Ricketts' manful efforts.

City defended for the opening minutes until on 12 Fagan held off the challenge of youngster Bale and swung a deep left foot cross onto Elliott’s bonce. Stuey nodded the ball across the face of goal to Parkin, who managed a twisting shot that had the benefit of power but lacked direction as it sailed into the seats behind the goal. The Elliott back post header was a routine City continued to use with some success throughout the game, and we can expect more havoc caused by this tactic unless forthcoming opposition assign a tall player to the right back position.

Moments later Fagan skated down the right touchline and as he reached halfway he had Phil Brown screaming at him to play a 1-2 with Marney further inside. Fagan passed to Marney. Marney played a delicious defence-splitting ball that curled into the right wing danger area. Fagan stood still. What an infuriating player Fagan is. He atoned for his misdemeanour the very next minute though, as a clearance to Elliott is switched to the right at Craig dribbled powerfully at the heart of the Southampton defence before hitting a left foot shot wide.

Southampton continued to have the majority of possession but they rarely threatened to break down City’s sturdy defence, protected as they were by the capable Jarrett who looked a splendid acquisition in the “tackle and give it to a team-mate every time” mould. Simple things, done well. On 23 a clearance found Marney in the centre circle and the ex-Spur burst through a tackle amid purrs of delight from the away supporters. He then proceeded to break three more tackles in a lung-busting run that transported him thrillingly into the Saints penalty box, where a last-ditch tackle conceded a corner just as young Dean was about to apply a finish. A fine effort from a player that looked a decent summer acquisition – and we’ve not always been able to say that.

Jon Parkin was doing sterling work up front leading the line alone. His physical presence was clearly rattling the central defenders – the shortish Baird in particular – none more so than on 27 when a Myhill clearance was missed by the defender and Parkin trapped the ball, shifted it to the left and struck a low deflected shot that had sufficient oomph to beat the keeper but not enough to evade a last ditch clearance off the line. The match’s main City protagonists then combined on 31 when Jarrett swung a long free-kick from the right to Elliott on the far post. His return header didn’t fall conveniently for Parkin and the half clearance was blatted over by Marney.

While City made chances Southampton continued to enjoy lots of possession. On 35 some slick short passing found Idiakez centrally in space, and his low pass down the inside right channel to Licka was a moment of genuine danger. Licka obligingly hit a low cross across goal that evaded all strikers, when a shot may have been more dangerous. Licka emerged briefly as a threat after this and when Jarrett clobbered him from behind the youthful Welsh set-piece specialist Bale drifted a free kick a yard wide. That was the last real threat of the half if one accepts that Parkin turning and shooting from 60 yards is unlikely to trouble any Championship goalie worth his salt. The attempt drifted a good 10 yards wide.

Into the second half and Southampton were clearly intent on upping the tempo. Their two centre backs had clearly been deputed to focus their combined attention on lone striker Parkin and the stifling effect of their smothering tactics eliminated City’s main method of attack. At the other end the anonymous strikers Kenwyne Jones and Bradley Wright-Phillips (aka “the less good of Ian Wright’s adopted sprogs”) asserted themselves more while Skacel was involved in practically every forward move that Southampton crafted.

On 49 Skacel accepted a throw-in deep in City territory and lost Ricketts with a neat overhead flick before shooting just wide. A couple of minutes later he again found space in City’s box but his shot was spannered badly wide, but not before Marney punished defensive indecision and released Parkin down the middle, only for the big man to shoot at keeper Davis.

On 54 the best chance of the game – Elliott was penalised for not very much (the third quarter of the game was littered with soft free kicks awarded against City by a compliant referee) and Idiakez stepped up to curl a right foot shot round the wall and onto Myhill’s near post as the custodian looked on. This excited the home crowd considerably, for a time we could often actually hear them, and when Wright-Phillips found space down the inside left channel only a superb covering tackle by Jarrett denied him a shot on goal.

Southampton created further chances in a frenetic five minute flurry just before the hour but in the last of those, a curling shot over the crossbar by Idiakez, the Spaniard sustained an injury and was promptly substituted for diminutive but nippy 12 year old Nathan Dyer. Dyer played down the right – and gave Dawson a hard time on several occasions – while the quiet Licka moved inside to central midfield. The removal of Idiakez would, we hoped, signal the end of Southampton’s main threat but in fact quite the opposite happened as Licka saw much more of the ball and was happy to dribble at the heart of City’s defence, causing a fair degree of panic and anguish.

Amid these Licka-inspired chances Fagan smote a shot high over the crossbar from a City corner – a rare foray into Southampton’s third of the pitch. When Licka was felled by Jarrett on 69 minutes a yellow card was the only reasonable response from the referee. And that was indeed what happened, although the recipient of the card was a confused Dawson. Dawson later lunged at Dyer and was lucky not to be sent off, I wonder if the official had by then realised that Dawson had been booked erroneously and decided to show some discretion rather than issue marching orders.

City had sporadic chances – Elliott dispossessed a defender and lashed a low shot wide from a narrow angle while Parkin accepted a Myhill clearance and used his trademark trap-turn-shoot single movement trick to create a chance for himself that was unfortunately straight at keeper Davis. But as the last fifteen minutes approached it was Southampton that again carried the goal scoring threat as Skacel picked the pocket of Ricketts, advanced and hit a low shot into the side netting. Jones then headed weakly at Myhill from the free kick that followed Dawson’s foul on Dyer.

On 80 Marney’s last act was to take a 25 yard free-kick that didn’t sail into the stands, a first for the lad when playing in City colours. In fact it was hit low and hard but a saveable distance away from the keeper. He then trotted off to be replaced by the semi-fit Welsh amid a generous round of applause from the City faithful. Blimey, the lad might be a decent player after all.

With five minutes to go City had one last attempt at goal as Ricketts robbed Skacel on halfway and ran at the heart of the Southampton defence, encouraging the back pedalling Baird to hack him down and earn a yellow card. As he was fouled Ricketts had actually played the ball through to Welsh in acres of space 20 yards out in a central goal scoring position, but this did not dissuade the referee from halting play. Shame. From the resulting free kick Elliott took the kind of run-up favoured by 1980s West Indian fast bowlers, but despite trotting in from Winchester his final effort was a deft chip that looped over the wall and landed on the roof of the net, a foot too high to trouble the keeper.

There then came a nervy but ultimately harmless period of pressure, the last 3 minutes of normal time and the four added minutes, as Southampton threw everyone forward in search of a goal. Jones headed down to Skacel whose shot was pushed away by Myhill. Then Fagan chased a clearance into the Southampton technical area, barged a member of the coaching staff and it all briefly kicked off as Parkinson, Burley and 1-2 others shoved each other and generally did the sort of stuff that is absolutely hilarious to watch and should be encouraged by the game’s higher echelons at all times. As the Southampton assistant trudged off into the stands for his part in creating the scuffle, the resulting throw was transferred to Skacel, again in space deep in City’s penalty box, and his powerful drive was beaten away. Into injury time and Wright-Phillips benefited from a ricochet after a Skacel cross but his mishit shot was clawed away magnificently by Myhill as he sprawled low down to his left. In the 94th minute a corner was headed goalwards by Jones only to be cleared off the line at the far post by Dawson, and from the cross that followed Jones again won a header but this slipped inches wide of Myhill’s right hand post.

So while the home side perhaps did enough to snatch a late winner, City’s resolute defensive line was nevertheless deserving of the point that it secured. The final whistle was welcomed by much high-fiving and mutual clapping between City fans, manager and players. This was so much better than the dross served up a week ago that one can’t help thinking that the timing of our game against a poor Southend side was excellent, and that some sort of corner has indeed been turned.

The introduction of Jarrett worked extremely well and Ashbee’s self-inflicted absence should not be problematic – indeed it may provide Parkinson with a chance to move on from the Ashbee era, because while Ash still offers much in terms of spirit and drive, he isn’t the footballer that Jarrett is and young Jason may be available for a permamnet move if the loan works out OK. More generally, the 4-5-1 shape is designed to avoid defeat rather than rampage to victory, and that is appropriate given our parlous league position. It does also give us a springboard for wide players and Marney to get around Parkin when he can hold up the ball, so chances will come on occasions.

Two home games now, neither easy but both winnable. The formula for 50 points and survival from now on is an equal number of wins, draws and losses. Four points from Wolves and Stoke is not out of the question.

HULL CITY (4-5-1): Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Coles, Dawson; Fagan, Jarrett, Marney, Delaney, Elliott; Parkin.  Subs: Welsh (for Marney, 80), Barmby, Bridges, Forster, Duke.

Goals: None

Booked: Dawson, Parkin

Sent Off: None

SOUTHAMPTON: Davis, Makin, Lundekvam, Baird, Bale, Licka, Wright, Idiakez, Skacel, Wright-Phillips, Jones.  Subs: Dyer (for Idiakez, 62), Miller, Surman, McGoldrick, Viafara.

Goals: None

Booked: Baird

Sent Off: None

REFEREE:  A Bates

ATTENDANCE: 20,560