Lewie Coyle laced up ahead of Wednesdays match against Wigan Athletic knowing the momentous nature of the game he was about to play. Hull City had suffered five straight defeats, typified by a string of poor performances by the Tigers skipper. This torrid run of form had seen the championship side without a goal in their last four fixtures, showing the clear need for Coyle to step up in his capacity as club captain if the Tigers were to improve.
The right back had been made captain of his hometown club following the surprise departure of Richard Smallwood during the Summer transfer window. The previously indispensable leader of the East Yorkshire outfit had found himself surplus to requirements at the MKM stadium, prompting a free transfer to Bradford City. Smallwood's move to the fourth tier of English football allowed Coyle to fill his shoes and lead the side had joined just two years prior.
Lewie Coyle has captained Hull City in all but one of their games this season (Alamy)
The opening exchanges of the game against Wigan suggested a continuation of Hull's below par form with the home side conceding with only a quarter of an hour on the clock. Black and amber hearts sank as the Lancashire side celebrated a goal courtesy of Will Keane, a player who had previously turned out for the Tigers on 26 occasions. Finding themselves in the all too familiar position of conceding first, Hull opted to maintain composure and not let the scoreline distract from their game plan, continuing to pressure the Latics defence.
The East Yorkshire side had pursued an ambitious game plan that did not wilt in the face of the negative scoreline. Interim manager, Andy Dawson, allowed his side to line up in a
4-2-3-1 formation, emphasising the attacking side of the game. Dawson attempted to alter his managerial style from that of his predecessor, Shota Arveladze by ditching the possession driven football that had almost certainly attributed to Hull's abysmal form as of late. A full back during his playing days, the former Hull and Scunthorpe man focused on overlapping runs by the two players fulfilling this duty on the day, allowing for a greater attacking presence in the final third of the pitch.
Andy Dawson took charge of his second game as Hull City manager against Wigan (Yorkshire Post)
Coyle, alongside his left-sided equivalent, Callum Elder, persisted with a slew of overlapping runs following the opening goal. This tactic was rewarded with a Hull equaliser a mere six minutes after Wigan had initially broken the deadlock. The Hull skipper's fingerprints were all over the first goal in over 360 minutes of football for the Tigers.
Initiated by a headed clearance by Jacob Greaves, Hull were able to counter from a poor Wigan attack. Ozan Tufan received the ball deep within his own half, passing to the makeshift right winger, Cyrus Christie who bombed on towards a retreating Latics defence.
Over the shoulder of the Irish international came Coyle, splitting the wigan defence with a precise overlapping run, putting him in a perfect position to collect the ball. Christie then returned the favour, running beyond his full back, leaving Wigan defender James McClean virtually powerless to stop the cross going in.
Christie makes the overlapping run past Coyle, dragging away James McClean giving the right-back space to cross the ball in
The space afforded to Coyle by the run of Christie then allowed the 26 year old to put in an inch perfect cross into the box. Timed to perfection, the right footed delivery found the head of Dimitrios Pelkas whose powerful header left opposing keeper, Ben Amos powerless to prevent the goal.
Dimitrios Pelkas heads home his first goal for Hull City off a Lewie Coyle cross (alamy)
After a deserved assist for Coyle and an important goal for Hull, the black and amber players left the pitch for half time knowing the win was within reach. The sixty fifth minute of this fixture saw this belief realised with the championship top scorer, Oscar Estupinan taking advantage of a welcoming corner from Callum Elder, scoring his eighth goal of the season and putting the home side in front in the process.
An impressive haul for both of Hull's fullbacks, it was clear that Dawson's emphasis on attacking from this position had paid off. Coyle in particular enjoyed an exceptional spell on the pitch, putting up numbers no one could compete with. Creating three chances across the ninety minutes (six times more than his season average) Coyle clearly enjoyed the space afforded to him by a lacklustre Wigan defence.
The Tiger's captain also managed a cross completion rate of 75%, far greater than the just over 30% fulfilled across the previous ten games Coyle had played in. The ex-Fleetwood Town man also contributed eight passes into the final third of the pitch, another stat above the season average for the player.
Defensively, Coyle also excelled, making six recoveries during the game and winning half of all duels he was involved in. Particular highlights on the defensive end came when the Hull skipper stepped in to block a powerful effort from James McClean, keeping the home sides lead intact. Additionally, the 5 foot 8 defender came under immense pressure in his own six yard box from towering Wigan centre back, Jack Whatmough. Despite this, Coyle was able to stand firm, making a vital headed clearance to prevent further chances.
Andy Woolmer's final whistle brought with it jubilation across the MKM stadium with the 14,000 fans in attendance getting their first taste of victory since late August. Instrumental to the drought ending was Coyle who after being the subject of criticism in earlier games could now be celebrated as the standout player from the hard fought win.
Whilst only an interim coach, Dawson's deployment of attacking fullbacks and his fast style of play will surely be features that any incoming manager will look to implement in their Hull side. Pedro Martins is all but confirmed to fill the vacant dugout at the MKM stadium and the Portuguese coach will surely look to Coyle as one of the first names on his future team sheets.
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