Farce and frustration as Tigers upstaged by squirrel in defeat to Robins
GOING BEHIND: Bristol City’s Ross McCrorie celebrates putting the Robins ahead. Pictures courtesy of Hull City
Hull City 2 - 3 Bristol City
Sky Bet Championship
MKM Stadium
Attendance: 20,848
By Sam Hawcroft, Hull City Correspondent
Hull City were upstaged by a marauding squirrel as they suffered a frustrating 3–2 defeat to by Bristol City.
A match that began with reflection and remembrance ended in farce, frustration and a sense that City are drifting off the boil at a crucial stage of the season.
Proceedings began with an impeccably observed minute’s silence in memory of those lost in the Triple Trawler Tragedy of 1968 and the Gaul disaster of February 1974 – events which, as PA announcer Steve Jordan noted, had a profound and lasting impact on the people of Hull.
It was a poignant reminder of the city’s shared history, before attention turned to an afternoon that would prove disjointed and exasperating from a Tigers’ perspective.
TOP PERFORMANCE: This squirrel provided some light relief on an afternoon to forget
Sergej Jakirović made four changes and opted for a significant shift in shape, switching to a 3-5-2. Paddy McNair was handed his debut in defence, Ryan Giles returned at left-back, John Lundstram came into midfield, and Kyle Joseph partnered Oli McBurnie up front.
Matty Jacob, Amir Hadžiahmetović and Kieran Dowell dropped to the bench, which also included Toby Collyer for the first time, while loanee Yū Hirakawa was ineligible to face his parent club.
City never quite got into their stride, and in the eighth minute, Lewie Coyle’s pass to John Egan was intercepted, allowing Emil Riis a sight of goal inside the area, but his effort was tame and comfortably saved by Ivor Pandur.
Two minutes later, Giles delivered a superb ball from the left that floated invitingly across the six-yard box, with McBurnie, Regan Slater and Joseph all lurking, but none could apply the decisive touch and Radek Vitek smothered the danger.
MARKSMAN: It had all looked so bright when Oli McBurnie put City ahead
At the other end, Tomi Horvat dragged a shot wide of the far post, and the game became increasingly scrappy, with both sides surrendering possession too easily. In the 18th minute, former Tiger Scott Twine attempted to slip Riis through on goal but failed to connect, punching the air in frustration as the chance went begging.
Bristol were looking by far the more comfortable side, while the Tigers appeared uncertain in the unfamiliar system.
Against the run of play, though, City took the lead in the 24th minute. Egan threaded a pass through the centre to McBurnie, who in turn played Slater into the area. Under pressure, Slater returned the ball to McBurnie, who took a touch and did what he does best – driving a clinical right-foot finish into the net from close range.
The lead lasted just ten minutes. Horvat swung in a corner and Rob Atkinson rose unchallenged to head home, a goal that felt deserved for the visitors.
TENACIOUS: Joe Gelhardt breaks with the ball
In the 38th minute, Joe Gelhardt found McNair on the right side of the area, but his shot was kept out by Vitek. Moments later, Horvat somehow failed to score when City were at sixes and sevens at the back, blazing a free effort from around 12 yards straight at Pandur.
City were not so fortunate a minute later. Unable to clear their lines, they saw an initial effort from Twine blocked before the ball fell kindly to Ross McCrorie, who produced a superb first-time curling finish into the top-right corner. The stadium fell into a stunned silence as City headed into the break trailing 2–1.
Changes inevitably followed at half-time, with Liam Millar replacing Giles and Lewis Koumas coming on for Joseph. Millar quickly made his presence felt, floating a teasing ball into the box early in the second half, but Vitek was equal to it.
Then came a moment that summed up City’s afternoon. In the 50th minute, Lundstram was dispossessed on the edge of the area and the Robins broke with speed. Twine surged forward and slipped the perfect pass into the path of Riis, who could not miss. 1-3, and very much looking like game over.
FRUSTRATION: Sergej Jakirović’s change in formation didn’t work out
Enter the squirrel, stage right…
Now, fans might remember when one of its rodent brethren registered an assist against Norwich City last season – but this time it was determined to go one better. For around ten minutes it became the centre of attention, sprinting from end to end, drawing huge cheers as it visited both goals and leaving hapless ground staff chasing it in vain with coats held aloft.
Both sets of supporters embraced the absurdity, and the Bristol fans began a chant of “You’re getting mauled by the squirrel”.
It was much-needed light relief on a pretty grim afternoon for the Tigers, and the squirrel did more to lift the atmosphere than anything City had managed on the pitch. Given the performance thus far, it was in genuine danger of being offered a contract.
Eventually, staff managed to smother the animal with their coats and usher it out, and we got back to the business at hand.
Koumas headed wide in the 64th minute before further changes saw Matty Jacob replace Egan and Dowell come on for Lundstram. City showed a little more urgency, before in the 76th minute Toby Collyer was introduced for McNair.
ON TARGET: Goalscorer Emil Riis holds up the ball for Bristol
A minute later, a flicker of hope. Koumas delivered a cross that Vitek could only flap at, and Dowell was perfectly placed to thump the ball home from close range, reducing the deficit to 3–2.
With the game stretched by the earlier delay, there was time – plenty of it. Ten minutes of added time were announced, prompting renewed belief in the stands. City pressed, finally upping the tempo, but clear chances were hard to come by and frustrations mounted with a series of decisions that appeared to go against the home side.
Bristol almost sealed it late on, breaking again through Sinclair Armstrong, with Collyer unable to halt him before Pandur saved at his near post.
At the other end, McBurnie appealed in vain for a penalty after going down under pressure, and a late free kick, won after a crunching collision involving Jacob, was fired straight into the wall by Gelhardt – a moment that encapsulated the afternoon.
City will need to rediscover their sharpness quickly if they are not to stumble at a critical point in the promotion race. On a day when even a squirrel found more space and freedom than the Tigers, there is work to be done…