Battling adverse weather and train cancellations, 707 Hull City fans ventured South towards the notoriously difficult home of Millwall FC. A ground known for its hostile atmosphere and rowdy fanbase, even the most confident side would appear fearful of a visit to the Den. The 200 mile journey to the capital traditionally proves dire for travelling City fans, with only four wins in their 34 visits to South London. Because of this, any result for the Tigers would surely be met with universal praise.
Winless at this venue since 2013, it was clear that new manager, Liam Rosenior had a mammoth job on his hands if he didn't want to start this chapter of his career with a loss. Additionally, two home losses in their previous fixtures meant that a strong performance was imperative in order to draw line under what had been an underwhelming start to the campaign for a Hull side full of enthusiasm before the season began.
Liam Rosenior had made it clear that he was desperate to put aside the slew of humiliating defeats that had punctuated the tenure of his predecessor, Shota Arveladze and implement a more positive mentally both on the pitch and in the dressing room.
Liam Rosenior had only taken charge of two training sessions at Hull before the game at Millwall (Hull Daily Mail)
Up until the appointment of the 38-year-old, Hull City were synonymous with atrocious defensive performances, conceding a dismal 35 goals in just 18 games. To put this in perspective, if the Tigers were to continue at this rate they would end the season having conceded 89 goals, their worst defensive output since the 1955/96 season. On average this campaign, Hull concede a goal every 30 minutes. This stat makes for reading when it is remembered that the East Yorkshire side have not kept a clean sheet since the second game of the season away at Preston.
Many Hull fans would've looked at the team sheet for yesterdays game and expected the abysmal defensive run to continue. Rosenior opted for a back four for this fixture with Alfie Jones and Tobias Figueiredo occupying the two central defensive spots. When playing in defence together, the pair average almost three goals conceded per game. This list of defensive woes would've left Rosenior eager to oversee significant change and attempt to carry over some of the successes of his Derby County side, who kept three league clean sheets during his just seven games at the helm of the League One outfit.
This cocktail of past results and disappointing form would've made most Hull fans pessimistic about the outcome of the match. Despite this, spirits were high within the away section of the Den as the teams walked out on to the pitch and the referee's whistle signified the start of Rosenior's reign at Hull City.
Early passages of the game were tediously uneventful. Hull's only threat to the Lion's goal came in the form of a Ryan Longman flick on, a limp chance happily collected by former Tigers number one, George Long. Millwall suffered similar misfortune on the attacking front with a Zian Flemming free kick being the pick of the bunch for the home side.
The climate of the game changed in the 37th minute as a poor goal kick from Nathan Baxter left Oscar Estupinan stretching for the ball and ultimately colliding with Millwall centre back Charlie Cresswell. The Colombian's high foot had met the face of the on loan Leeds man, leaving referee John Busby no choice but to brandish a red card for the reckless challenge. A deserved sending off, Estupinan made his way down the tunnel knowing he had left his team in a difficult position. The Tigers had failed to threaten the opposition goal even with their talisman on the field, making any hopes of a result at the Den appear even slimmer without a recognised number nine.
Hull Captain, Jacob Greaves, reacts to Oscar Estupinan's red card (BBC)
Using the break in play caused by Creswell's injury as a chance to address his team, Rosenior knew it would take a miracle to bring even a point back to East Yorkshire, especially without the man who had scored over a third of Hull's goals this season. Fully aware of the difficult nature of the task at hand, Rosenior was determined to at least make it to half time with his goal intact. Hull remained unchanged for the remainder of the opening period and a resilient defensive display saw the Tigers limp over the line to half time and give the new manager a vital opportunity to inspire his players.
Rosenior's message to his players would've been simple: don't worry about scoring, just defend the point. This philosophy translated to a nervy second half for the Tigers, failing to register a single shot across the period whilst facing an onslaught of attacks from the home side.
The back of Hull net finally rippled in the 63rd minute as Tom Bradshaw headed home from six yards out, causing the unusually silent home crowd to erupt in celebration. This jubilation was short lived however, as the Welshman's effort was deemed to be offside, giving the Hull fans a chance to take a jab at the now embarrassed Millwall supporters.
The Lions took seventeen shots during the second half, forcing Nathan Baxter into numerous saves including two excellent stops during the final moments of the game. A man of the match performance, Baxter appeared shake off his previous game's errors to put in a strong shift in the Hull goal, confidently dealing with anything thrown at him by the Millwall attack. The Tiger's keeper was aided by a strong display from his defensive line, with a myriad of blocks from black and amber defenders keeping the clean sheet intact for the away side.
Nathan Baxter's six saves earned Hull a well earned point against Millwall (Hull City)
This regimented defensive display from Hull clearly frustrated the home fans who grew ever more impatient with the lack of goals. Notorious for their noise and intimidation, the fans occupying The Cold Blow Lane Stand appeared stunned into silence by their teams woes in front of goal, making the usually daunting crowd appear tame as Hull fought to the very last kick of the ball.
After an anxiety inducing period of stoppage time, the referee finally brought the match to a close and prompted a celebration from the away crowd more akin to a victory than a goalless draw. The reaction of the Hull fans showed just how important this result was. Throughout this season, games have been punctuated by a lack of fight from the players and the absence of cohesion amongst the backline. Rosenior had appeared to address both of these problems by inspiring his team to keep going, even in the adversity of playing most of the game with ten men.
Within his post match interview, Rosenior spoke of the "desire, energy, intensity and commitment", that his players had shown during the game. He furthered the praise for his players, noting that he "couldn’t be prouder of them today". It is obvious that the players and fans are right behind the new manager, something that could not be said for previous figures to occupy the dugout at the MKM stadium.
Looking to the future, the former Hull right-back stated that:"if we apply ourselves in that manner week in, week out, we’ll quickly rise up the table". This aura of positivity throughout the team will surely be carried into Tuesday's visit to Cardiff in which the Tigers will certainly be looking to build upon the performance in South London.
It is clear that the regime change in East Yorkshire has brought back some of the optimism of pre season, with fans hoping that Rosenior's success will go beyond the so called 'new manager bounce' and allow Hull to make a genuine push away from the relegation places.
Whatever the future holds, fans can be content with a well earned clean sheet away from home and a man in the dugout who evokes nothing but love for his club.
Commentaires