After surviving an attacking onslaught that was only spurned by some genuinely comedy finishing, City rally after falling a goal behind and earn a Cup replay with a late goal against Premiership Middlesbrough.

It's fair to say that Hull City's history in the FA Cup is not a particularly proud one, at least not since the regular Cup runs in the second half of the 1960s and the early 1970s. Yesterday's programme reveals that City haven't eliminated a side from the top flight since 1973 when West Ham were dumped prior to a 0-3 reverse at Coventry's Highfield Road. Indeed City haven't troubled the Fourth Round draw for a whole 18 years, our Cup run to the Fifth Round that season being ended when Liverpool came to an electric Boothferry Park and won 3-2 after trailing at half time. But we will be in the Fourth Round hat on Monday because yesterday City faced a Middlesbrough side, until recently on the slide but somewhat resurgent after a decent run of results over Christmas, and rode their luck to claim a replay.

As exciting and enjoyable as this "proper" Third Round tie was - two teams pretty much at full strength, a wet surface, vociferous chanting from large home and away followings - let's not get too excited. Middlesbrough had the chances to win this game with some ease and muffed them. They had the two best strikers on the pitch by some distance (a situation that wouldn't have been altered one jot had Fagan not been injured and unavailable); they had an international left winger that found space intelligently and used it well almost every time; and they had a centre half in Riggott that was more than equal to the aerial challenge posed by Parkin. That they had the luxury of leaving out both the influential custodian Mark Schwarzer and the imperious Jonathan Woodgate due to minor injury, suggests that we shouldn't hope for much more than a ground tick at the replay on Tuesday week.

Taking a rest from a run that increasingly looks as though it may take them clear of relegation threat, City took a low risk strategy to their formation by not choosing knock-carriers Barmby and Fagan and lined up thus:

Myhill
Ricketts Coles Turner Dawson
France Ashbee Livermore
McPhee Parkin Elliott

With Marney and Delaney both suspended, Ricketts and Coles returned to the defence while Elliott came in as a left sided forward. Coles made a tricky start, finding himself too easily buffeted about by the robust Viduka and Yakubu, but he drew confidence from an amazing goal-line clearance and went on to play rather well. Ricketts ... well he was less good, over and again in the second half Downing exploited the space behind Ricketts and twigged that Sam always stands off and never tackles, so was happy to carry the ball as far as he liked before delivering a string of telling crosses. Elliott and McPhee both had low key afternoons and were withdrawn.

In the first five minutes the proceedings were dominated by raucous chanting by both sets of supporters, as well as a resounding volley of cat-calls whenever drug cheat and comedy barneted Abel Xavier received the ball. City saw a first glimpse of a chance when McPhee and France combined well down the right but when McPhee had a brief sight of goal 20 yards out he elected to play a pass and the threat evaporated. Then France, generally putting in another energetic and effective shift in the midfield 3, uncharacteristically rolled a pass directly to Downing who took off down the wing and squared to Viduka, but the portly Aussio-Croat tapped his shot straight at the fit-again Myhill. Moments later Viduka had another shot blocked that fell to Arca, who embarked on an elaborate run around the penalty area with the sole intention of working the ball from his right (non-kicking) foot to his left. By the time he'd managed this his shot was easily blocked.

Our referee today? The rather infamous Uriah Rennie. He's a man that doesn't mind a bit of attention. When he heard the chant "you don't know what you're doing" arising from the East Stand as keeper Jones set up a goal kick he walked over to the touchline, even crossed the touchline, while staring at the supporters and lapping it up. He gave a few decisions that were frankly baffling. He is, in short, no longer fit to referee a senior professional football match and how the FA assessors can't see this evident fact I don't know. He got up and running on 14 when Xavier hurled himself to the floor in the grandest theatrical manner imaginable, but of course Uriah knows that Xavier plays in the Premiership and Ryan France is a non-league shitkicker so it simply MUST have been a foul. Downing hit his low shot just wide. Then two minutes later another marshmallow-soft free kick is awarded by Rennie in similar range, about 25 yards from Myhill's goal, and this time Arca curled a looping shot which again drifted wide. Uriah's defining moment came later in the half when Ashbee and Boateng challenged for the ball and Boateng came off second best and fell to the floor. No foul was committed, however because Boateng had fallen over Rennie immediately stopped play and waved on the Boro trainer to administer treatment, despite the fact that Boateng had returned to his feet before the trainer had picked up his magic sponge. Rennie restarted with a drop ball, putting into action a hitherto unheralded new FIFA directive that "a drop ball will be awarded when a highly paid top flight player is tackled robustly but fairly by a player that has played in the Fourth Division".

Anyway, Middlesbrough went on to dominate for a spell. A break from a City corner down Boro's right was switched to the left by a tremendous Boateng pass, and Downing had acres of space to run into and shoot but hooked his early shot wide. Many of Boro's chances fell to - and were spurned by - the mammoth Nigerian Yakubu. A move down Boro's right found Yak in space, he turned to the left and had a shot blocked and cleared by Coles. Then Yakubu exploited a slip by Turner and drove into the box, the first shot was half cleared but then returned to him unmarked and two yards from goal, but he contrived to let the ball ricochet off his ample posterior when blatting it into the goal appeared far easier and allowed Coles to perform an acrobatic clearance from under the crossbar.

This appalling miss seemed to derail Middlesbrough a bit and City were able to make a couple of half chances. McPhee received and held the ball on the right before squaring to the arriving France but Ryan's shot was weak and easily saved by Jones, who looked good at goalkeeping but terrible at kicking - a Premiership Matt Duke, if you will. As the end of the half approached Parkin was found by a raking Dawson pass and he used his strength well to make a yard of space at the corner of the penalty box and drive in a shot from a narrow angle that was parried away by Jones. Dawson and Parkin again combined on 39, the Beast chesting down to McPhee who struck a low shot well but a yard wide.

Then City's best chance of the half - Dawson yet again the architect as another crossfield ball was struck towards Elliott, who had appeared in the inside right channel. Stuart clearly had the beating of Boro's nervy left back Taylor and he rose majestically to connect with a header from fully 20 yards that looped up and was destined for the far corner before Jones scrambled back and clawed it away from under the crossbar. From the resulting corner the ball fell around the back post to McPhee six yards out and his shot very obviously struck Arca's raised hands, albeit from very short range, and the very presentable penalty claim was denied by Rennie, who probably never saw it anyway. The half closed with Boro's again breaking quickly from a City raid, this time ending in Viduka's low shot that crashed into the side netting.

The second half commenced with Middlesbrough exercising more control over the game. On 52 Yakubu won another cheap free kick that Downing struck well and drew a fine save from Myhill. The corner led to a splendid FA Cup style melee in the goal mouth that saw two good Boro chances blocked and eventually cleared. Uriah's finest/worst moment of this half came on 57 when he waved play-on after an offside decision amid general confusion in the Middlesbrough defence. The goalie put the ball down for a free kick as Rennie continued to signal play on, Parkin ambled forward and nearly had a free shot on goal before Uriah finally blew his whistle for offside. There was nothing particularly wrong with the way he reffed that actual incident, Jones was clearly being asked to play on yet didn't, but such events are symptomatic of the general confusion that Rennie causes when he refs thanks to his predilection for bizarre decisions at other times.

Anyway, the returned from loan and refreshed Duffy came on for Elliott and his first contribution was to advance pacily into Boro's last third before tripping over the ball - a microcosm of his season to date in a City shirt. Parkin had a chance to rumble through the middle of the Boro defence but his eventual shot was blocked. Then Parkin won a free kick on the left that was quickly taken and resulted in a Dawson cross that Parkin headed goalwards and was saved. At the other end Yakubu laid off tidily to Cattermole down the right but Dawson eased the youngster off the ball as he shaped to shoot. Cattermole was immediately replaced by Morrison. Pogatetz, the wild man of Austrian football (if such a thing exists), felled Ricketts on half way and took a deserved booking. Then the first goal came.

Yet again the threat came from a fast Boro break as City's attack broke down. The recently introduced Morrison received the ball on half way and dribbled menacingly right at the centre of City's defence before Turner tackled him on the edge of the box. The tackling ricocheted to Yakubu who intelligently slipped to ball right to Viduka in space, whose low first time shot fizzed past Myhill and nestled into the net by his near post. A tremendous goal crafted by a side that looked excellent coming forward throughout.

City will now fall apart, lose their shape and generally start hoofing the ball aimlessly, yes? Well no actually, and credit is due for the confidence in our new flexible 4-3-3 system that Phil Brown has clearly instilled. On 75 Duffy guided a header too close to Jones after Dawson crossed following a blocked McPhee shot. This was McPhee's last act as he was replaced, amid low murmuring, by Nicky Forster. I maintain that Forster can't be quite as hopeless as he seems - and so it proved. Duffy chased down a Myhill clearance and advanced rapidly to the right side of the penalty box where he was chopped down crudely by Taylor. Livermore, who was quietly excellent through the game, dinked a left foot cross into the six yards out danger area where Forster evaded his marker and glanced a header inside the far post, way away from where the hapless Jones could reach. City were certainly worth a goal in this game, so this was a thoroughly deserved effort. I hope that Forster's confidence will be boosted and he can show us what he can really do.

With parity restored Middlesbrough got a bit uppity and decided that a replay would be a really bad thing, so they had a few pots at goal. Morrison's shot was superbly tipped over by Myhill then Yakubu wastefully shot wide after a delicious Viduka through ball. On 89 Boro got a corner after the dangerous Morrison was released by a Boateng pass. The cross was swung to the near post and met by Riggott who drew two unbelievable point-blank saves from Myhill, the second with his feet while lying prone on the turf. Later inspection of camera footage showed that the first save was palmed onto the post, thus giving Riggott his second chance. "Bollocks to this", Boro thought and they eased through two minutes of injury time that were only punctuated by Nicky Featherstone coming on for France.

So a thoroughly entertaining afternoon's fare ended in a draw. Both teams will be able to card stronger teams for the replay and no doubt will do. I'd like to see Barmby have a good go at Middlesbrough's back four, who looked shaky at times, Riggott excepted. As for City, our defence did as well as could be expected against a super forward line, with Ricketts being the only one failing to impress. Livermore and Ashbee exercised a reasonable amount of control in midfield and France chased and tackled with vigour and consistency throughout. We lacked much of a cutting edge up front to exploit Boro's weaknesses but all five forwards can point to moments of fine play that can be built on in next week's mega-important foot of the table clash. I love the FA Cup and I despise people that say it is irrelevant and secondary, this is ludicrous talk perpetrated by morons that commentate on the Premiership. We're still in it and we have a really good replay to look forward to, with perhaps a tasty Fourth Round morsel to spur us on.

All of that said though, three points against QPR would be nice.

HULL CITY (4-3-3): Myhill; Ricketts, Coles, Turner, Dawson; France, Ashbee, Livermore; McPhee, Parkin, Elliott.  Subs: Duffy (for Elliott, 60), Forster (for McPhee, 76), Featherstone (for France, 89), Plummer, Duke.

Goals: Forster 79

Booked: Duffy

Sent Off: None

MIDDLESBROUGH: Jones, Xavier, Riggott, Pogatetz, Taylor, Arca, Boateng, Cattermole, Downing, Yakubu, Viduka.  Subs: Morrison (for Cattermole, 68), Turnbull, Parnaby, Christie, Euell.

Goals: Viduka 73

Booked: Boateng, Pogatetz

Sent Off: None

REFEREE:  U Rennie

ATTENDANCE: 17,520