by William Young, To Hull and Back podcast
Hull City managed to again defy the odds this season and booked a place at the home of football as they beat Millwall across two legs in the Championship play-off semi-finals.
After a stalemate at home, the Tigers served up a perfect away performance at the Den.
On Friday at the MKM, Sergej Jakirović named the same side that had booked the Tigers’ play-off spot a week before, with both sides greeted by a boisterous atmosphere from all four sides of the MKM Stadium, as it was against Norwich.
It was the Tigers who nearly started perfectly when Mo Belloumi went on a run down the left, cut inside, jinked past several Millwall players and took aim, but found the outside of the near post.
It was a game of few real goalscoring chances, to tell the truth – it was a tight and tense affair that Millwall possibly edged, but City did have a couple of other chances, most notably when Oli McBurnie played Joe Gelhardt in, only for him to slip as he cut inside to take a shot, while Millwall peppered City with plenty of long-range strikes and set pieces. But the Tigers held firm to them.
The biggest moment of the first leg came with five minutes left, when a cross from wide found Ryan Leonard in the middle, who slotted the ball into the Tigers net… only to see the goal chalked off thanks to a foul on Charlie Hughes by Tristan Crama.
The Tigers would hold on, and the game would end goalless, meaning that the clash at the Den on Monday night would be a winner-takes-all shootout.
Right, then. On to Monday. City travelled down to the capital to the hostile environment of the Den.
Sergej made two changes from the first leg, as Semi Ajayi and Kyle Joseph came in for Joe Gelhardt and Mo Belloumi, with Jakirović changing the formation to a 3-4-3 over the usual 4-2-3-1.
And again, the Tigers started the brighter, as they dominated the opening quarter of an hour, pushing Millwall back and creating a couple of chances, the best of them both coming from the head of Charlie Hughes, before the home side started to get back into the game and take control themselves.
There was a huge moment for the Lions around the 20-minute mark when a deep cross from Azeez found Camiel Neghli, whose header across goal caused chaos in the box, resulting in both Joseph and John Egan clearing the ball from City’s goal line, before Pandur was called into action a minute later when Azeez stung the Croatian’s palms.
The Tigers still had bite, though, when McBurnie forced Millwall keeper Anthony Patterson into a reflex save as he headed Ryan Giles’ cross towards goal, before the half ended with Pandur just beating Thierno Ballo to the ball from an Azeez cross to keep the game all square at the break.
The only negative of an end-to-end first half was Kyle Joseph being forced off with what looked like a nasty injury when Ballo scissor-tackled him, taking out his ankle. It wasn’t even given as a foul, but in the Prem, VAR might’ve looked at it… he was replaced by Belloumi, who would soon make sure his appearance would be a memorable one.
City started the second half on top, with McBurnie seeing his effort on goal blocked by Crama after quick play from Regan Slater and Belloumi played him in. That quick tempo would set the blueprint for the Tigers’ performance in the second half.
And, on 64 minutes, the moment arrived. Slater played the ball inwards to Crooks, who found Belloumi running towards the box out wide on the right.
The Algerian cut inside onto his left foot, and curled a magnificent strike around Alfie Doughty, fresh off the bench for Millwall, and into the far corner, off the post. Cue utter madness in the away end above the goal.
City were ahead… and had one foot on the coach to Wembley. To quote Andy Hinchcliffe on the Sky commentary: Amber Nectar.
Despite the setback, Millwall couldn’t get back into the game, and City almost doubled their lead quickly as an errant pass out from Barry Bannan gifted the ball to Belloumi, who passed to Slater running towards the penalty area, but his effort was closed down by Cooper to spare the blushes. For now.
After the substitution of Belloumi had already reaped rewards for Jakirović, it was now time for another to take centre stage.
With just over 10 minutes left, the little Algerian wizard won the ball back on the touchline near halfway and found Crooks inside, who immediately released Belloumi into the Millwall half with acres to run into. He poked a lovely cross over to Gelhardt, barely on the pitch a minute, who steadied himself and fired low, his shot squeezing through Patterson’s hands and rolling over the line to double City’s lead.
Forget madness in the away end this time – it was utter pandemonium. The Tigers had one foot on the Wembley coach… make that two.
With Millwall now well and truly on the ropes, City could’ve had more, as Crooks was played through by Slater and found himself one-on-one with Patterson, but his effort went straight into the keeper’s arms.
The Lions knocked on the Tigers’ door, but City defended their two-goal advantage superbly in the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time, and as the final whistle arrived, to a thunderous roar from the City bench and the travelling faithful, the Tigers had done what many considered inexplicable.
So… 2008. 2016. And now, 2026. Hull City have beaten Millwall in the EFL Championship play-off semi-finals and put themselves just one game away from the Premier League, just 12 months after surviving relegation on goal difference.
To a man, every City player is a hero, no matter what happens next. But win at Wembley, and you’ll be immortal.
And to Sergej Jakirović? I don’t think any superlatives will do you justice, other than to simply say that, whatever happens: thank you.