Hull City 3 Coventry City 2: Tigers maintain perfect home start

Hull City maintained their perfect start to the Championship season at the MKM Stadium with another hard-fought victory over Mark Robins’ Coventry City.

 

Ozan Tufan became the latest first-team absentee having been injured for The Tigers in last week’s defeat at WBA. The recent arrivals of midfielder Ryan Woods and right-back Cyrus Christie as well as the return to fitness of Ryan Longman and Tyler Smith added depth to the squad but Shota Arveladze chose to revert to a 3-5-2 formation in the absence of playmaker Tufan giving a first league start to Vaughn Covil in a surprise move.

City: Matt Ingram, Lewie Coyle, Callum Elder, Tobias Figueiredo, Jacob Greaves, Alfie Jones, Regan Slater, Ryan Woods (Randell Williams), Vaughn Covil (Andy Cannon), Oscar Estupiñán (Ryan Longman), Benjamin Tetteh (Cyrus Christie). 

There were times in the game when you wondered if the referee turned up at the Circle expecting a game of Rugby League - particularly when he watched uninterested as Woods was launched into touch with a shoulder high tackle in the second half – but you could say the same of some fans, like the woman in the SE corner who screamed “Ger Onsard” after 15 seconds. No word of a lie.

City started well. Progressive football, aggression and determination in spades and a tremendous atmosphere emanating from the stands. I thought about the meak defeat to Coventry on October 30^th last year. A game played in front of 6,000 fewer fans. A struggling City side failing to lay a glove on Coventry and barely even throwing a punch. Only Ingram, Greaves and Elder lined up today from that starting XI (Cannon came on later) and the difference is striking. The switch to a back three didn’t hurt City at all, the wing backs attacked from the early stages and Slater, the heartbeat oof this City side, provided the impetus with and without the ball. On ten minutes, Elder linked well with Greaves, again, and delivered a cross beyond everyone. Coyle recovered the ball and hit a fine shot/cross on the volley that the keeper parried for Estupiñán to tap in at the far post [1-0]. The Colombian is the top scorer in the division and has a healthy habit of turning up in the right place at the right time.

The goal didn’t provide the lift-off City hoped and with Figueiredo having a bit of a nightmare in possession, Coventry were invited onto us time and again. Palmer pulled the strings for them and Godden and Gyokeres’ impressive movement caused problems. Fortunately, Greaves was outstanding, putting out fires all over the place but Figueiredo kept lighting them. Young Covil was injured – another one – and replaced by Cannon and City didn’t settle. We had one let-off as Gyokeres headed home whilst offside but shortly after, we conceded a penalty. Figueiredo was the guilty party with a rash challenge in the area but the opportunity came from Woods’ being caught on the ball on the 18 yard line. Godden dispatched past Ingram [1-1].

Woods’ home debut was a mixed bag. He started well enough but made a big error for the equaliser and disappeared for a while after it. His use of the ball was often poor, trying Hollywood passes and coughing up possession. He was much better after the break using his short passing game to good effect and dictating our best passages of play alongside Slater. He put in a lot of had graft, and fits in well in this team because they all do. It’s the minimum requirement and no-one falls short.

Despite Coventry looking more dangerous for the second quarter, City wrestled some initiative back as half time approached and then, somehow, went in ahead. Coyle made the goal again, swinging a cross in with his left foot which keeper Moore spilled under the challenge of Estupiñán and Oscar poked in another from close range [2-1].

Half time: Hull City 2 Coventry City 1

The second half followed a similar pattern with the visitors having plenty of the ball and looking the most likely to score. Despite some great bit of play from Tetteh and the constant threat of Estupiñán, City were quiet as an attacking force. But sub Cannon, who lacks quality but makes up for it in sheer effort, forced a throw-in high up the pitch on our right. He then held up the ball from the throw, slid in Coyle and he delivered again for his fellow wing-back Elder who arrived unconvincingly but his knock down was poked in by Estupiñán to complete a hat-trick with three goals from a total of about 7 yards [3-1]. Oscar’s hat-trick was our first at this level for five years, since Abel Hernandez against Burton Albion, and takes him to 7 goals in the Championship already, here more than anyone else in the division.

From there, the game became all to familiar to anyone who has seen the other games we have taken points in this season. Elder produced a great block and Ingram made a fantastic save to stop a certain goal before one came as Godden headed in at the far post from a flick-on from a corner [3-2]. It was a poor one to concede but it was always coming. City had 15 minutes or so to see the game out and had been dropping deeper and deeper. Arveladze made subs, including the welcome return of Longman, but like the previous games, he withdrew our most dangerous players for, frankly, far inferior replacements and set up his 5-4-1 to just get through the game. It’s not pretty and in the moment, it’s pretty hairy, but it worked again. Elder produced another good block and former City loanee Martyn Waghorn, on as sub, fizzed one wide, but Ingram wasn’t even called upon.

In fact, City should have sealed it. Before his late withdrawal, Tetteh beautifully sent Longman clear towards the South Stand without a defender in sight and with the whole ground standing in anticipation of the net bulging and the six minutes of stoppage time becoming a celebration rather than a tribulation. Unfortunately, Longman drew keeper Moore but pushed the ball wide of the near post and those last few minutes felt like several hours before the whistle finally signalled another home win and “Happy Hour” blasted out throughout the stadium.

Full time: Hull City 3 Coventry City 2

There were moments of real quality from City but on the whole, it was a victory they scrapped for. With little creativity in the middle, the goals came from getting the ball wide and relying on Coyle’s outstanding delivery. Both players gave everything and it’s no slight on either, but Covil starting in the “number ten” position, only to be replaced by Cannon shows the areas of real weakness at the moment. In the five games they’ve picked up points, City have finished with four or five players on the pitch you’d have imagined would be nowhere near the squad this season. Those players aren’t letting anyone own but it’s the reason games are ending with ten men behind the ball defending for their lives. It’s working though. We didn’t amass this many points until game 17 on 6^th November last season.

Greaves was probably the pick for City with his outstanding defending in the first half getting his mate off the hook time and again. His tackling is timed tremendously, his positioning near flawless and his height incredibly useful for aerial battles. Slater was excellent too. He was everywhere without the ball and a joy to watch with it. His ability to sell two defenders with his body movement before he’s even touched the ball is a thing of beauty and his running with the ball, the drop of the shoulder, the close control and the calm under pressure was as good as he’s been in a City shirt. Does anyone know how much he cost?

Coyle is sometimes maligned, unfairly, by morons, but he was terrific again at both ends, as was Elder on the left. Tetteh’s combination of size and ability to challenge for a ball in the air with a ridiculously deft touch “for a big man” continues to create crowd-pleasing moments and links with expert goal poacher Estupiñán. Figueiredo had a mare first half but was much more composed after the break. Everyone put in an incredible effort, typical of this group. Fears that the heart of the side were lost with the departures this summer, from yours truly especially, look unfounded and that’s very pleasing. 

Most pleasing is another great crowd of 17,878. That’s 2 consecutive home games over 17k. We only achieved it once last season and didn’t at all in the league in the short 19/20 season or the full 18/19. (Stats: https://tigerbase.hullcity.com) The average is already up 4,000 on last season and 6,000 on 19/20 - before the world ended.

It felt for a long time like City’s world was ending. But not any more. The club and this team are alive and kicking.