City up to sixth as McBurnie nets on return
Pictures courtesy of Hull City
Hull City 2 - 0 Wrexham
Sky Bet Championship
MKM Stadium
Attendance: 19,464
By Sam Hawcroft, Hull City Correspondent
Hull City went some way towards righting the wrongs of last Friday night against Middlesbrough with a much-needed 2-0 victory over Wrexham – in an assured performance that saw the welcome return of two sorely missed figures.
The MKM was somewhat sparser than usual, understandable after that Boro horror show, and Wrexham too arrived in smaller numbers. City had even emailed their supporters during the week to say their allocation had been moved to another block, such was the lack of uptake for a trip to East Yorkshire on a Wednesday night in December.
City looked different in personnel, and in purpose. Four changes were made, with Joe Gelhardt absent through injury, Mohammed Belloumi returning to the starting XI, and Charlie Hughes, Joel Ndala and Darko Gyabi also back in.
But the biggest lift of all was the sight of Oli McBurnie and Liam Millar, both having been out for several weeks, warming up along the touchline – and warming the cockles of the City faithful on this fairly chilly evening.
City began on the front foot. Inside two minutes Lewie Coyle struck over from the right edge of the area, then five minutes later the skipper delivered a superb floated cross towards Kyle Joseph at the back post, but Max Cleworth intervened just in time.
Wrexham’s first foray ended with a corner that went directly out – a brief reminder that despite Friday’s collapse, City were facing a side still struggling for consistency at this level.
But in the tenth minute, City made their early pressure count. Belloumi did brilliantly on the right to reach the byline and cut the ball back to Matt Crooks. His low 12-yard effort was saved by Arthur Okonkwo, but Joseph was there to poke in the rebound from very close range. The perfect start to settle any lingering nerves.
Yet within six minutes City almost undid their own good work. Slack defending allowed Kieffer Moore space 12 yards out, only for the striker to drag his effort wide when it looked easier to score. A big let-off for the Tigers.
Joseph was again close to a second in the 23rd minute when Okonkwo spilled a routine ball, but the keeper recovered enough to smother. Moments later, urged on by fans yelling “shoot”, Crooks tried his luck from range, only to send it well over.
Just before the half-hour Nathan Broadhead jinked dangerously into the area, but the whistle went for a soft foul by James McClean on Coyle – relief for City, who were again caught a little off-balance. A neat move upfield soon followed, with Ndala – played in by Joseph – seeing a shot blocked as City pushed to extend their lead.
In the 36th minute Wrexham’s goal was living a charmed life as Okonkwo denied Regan Slater from close range, then a wicked Giles delivery somehow flashed through the six-yard box untouched. The visitors were clinging on.
After the restart City came out flying again. A low ball from Giles flashed across the box after Hughes’ surging run, missing everyone before Coyle drilled wide on the follow-up. They needed a second – 1-0 rarely feels enough, as we know – but the intent was there.
Wrexham hit back through Broadhead, who sent one wide from a promising position, then in the 53rd minute his 20-yard strike clipped Hughes and looped over the bar. A warning that Wrexham were threatening to click into gear.
And then came the moment City feared. Crooks mistimed a lunge on Broadhead in the box, and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. Few complaints from City players.
Moore stepped up, hoping to atone for that earlier miss – but Pandur guessed correctly and palmed the penalty powerfully away to his right, to huge roars from the home stands. A massive escape, and another turning point in a game City could not afford to mismanage.
Around the hour more noise erupted when City twice shouted for handball: first against James McClean from a sharp Belloumi cross, and then Dominic Hyam moments later. Nothing given – and the tension rose among fans in the North Stand, as they made abundantly clear their frustration with the referee.
Then came the moment many had been waiting for – that double substitution, as McBurnie and Millar entered the fray for Ndala and Joseph in the 64th minute.
McBurnie’s first sight of goal came from a Coyle free kick, his glancing header an easy claim for Okonkwo.
But he had found his bearings – and seconds later he found the net.
Millar, battling brilliantly under pressure near halfway, kept the move alive and fed Giles. And when Giles – “the postman” once again – swept in a beauty of a left-footed cross, McBurnie slid in from ten yards to score on his return. Beautiful!
Suddenly the Tigers were purring again. Wrexham looked rattled, and McBurnie nearly scored a second after more chaos in the visitors’ box, and the sense of control – so absent on Friday – was restored.
Former Tiger Ryan Longman entered for Wrexham in the 78th minute to a warm reception (easy to be magnanimous when you have the comfort of a two-goal cushion, though) before Millar almost delivered a sensational third by rattling the bar from a tight angle.
Gyabi then made way for Amir Hadziametovic, and Crooks forced a corner that Okonkwo collected well. Akintola, a 70th-minute replacement for Belloumi, came close to adding a third when denied at point-blank range, and Wrexham, by now, looked well beaten.
In the end, the scoreline stayed at 2-0 – but crucially, City kept a clean sheet, restored a bit of belief and welcomed back two of their most important players. Wrexham spurned two golden chances to level and paid for it. In this division, as City have learned themselves, you simply have to take your moments.
Such is the tight nature of this league that, despite Friday’s capitulation, these three points send City back into the play-off mix. This was a badly needed confidence-booster – and with a visit to high-flying Millwall next up on Saturday, a timely one.