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MIDDLESBROUGH 4 HULL CITY 3, FA Cup Third Round Replay, Tuesday 16th January 2007
Hull City came to the Riverside full of confidence after their 1-1 draw at the KC Stadium ten days ago. But Boro's beating of their away day hoodoo against Charlton on Saturday gave the hosts belief too and both sets of fans were relishing an entertaining game.
Gareth Southgate made three changes from the team that won 3-1 at the Valley at the weekend. Emmanuel Pogatetz, Andrew Taylor and George Boateng were dropped in favour of Seb Hines, Andrew Davies and James Morrison.
Eighteen year old Wetherby-born Hines made his Boro debut at left-back in a 4-4-2 formation that accommodated the in-form strikers of Yakubu and Mark Viduka. Lee Cattermole and Julio Arca were in the centre of midfield, with Morrison and Stewart Downing on the right and left respectively. Jonathan Woodgate and Abel Xavier formed the heart of defence.
Schwarzer, Davies, Xavier (Ehiogu 71), Woodgate, Hines, Morrison, Cattermole, Arca, Downing, Viduka, Yakubu (Christie 90), Jones, Euell, Johnson
THE FIRST HALF
The first shot came on the second minute when Schwarzer's poor punching almost cost the home side. The ball was whipped in, Schwarzer flapped at it and the globe fell to Nicky Forster who, with the world at his feet, contrived to miss his shot.
This woke the Boro up who attacked through Downing. Unfortunately he could not beat the first man, frustrating the waiting Yakubu and Viduka, and Hull conceded a corner. Nothing came of this apart from some neat intricate play that did little to inspire or excite.
Julio Arca's confidence was telling as he picked up the ball from Seb Hines and launched a ferocious shot at goal on six minutes from the edge of the box. The ball shaved the post closer than a David Beckham Gillette Macho Forty-Wank special and bounced to safety. The Boro were getting closer.
Like Sigfried and Freud, the Boro were keeping the Tigers at bay. Except there was no recourse to chains and whips and there was a distinct lack of Las Vegas style hookers floating around the Riverside. On nine the away side almost scored an own goal after they failed to deal with another tricky ball that Downing launched into the box.
The Tigers were more whimpering than roaring as their defence decided to take an afternoon doze like the tamest of cubs. With the keeper on-rushing Downing had a perfect chance to score but a pass to Viduka proved futile when the Australian missed.
A hopeful Downing punt and two conceded corners later and the Boro decided to let the Tigers off the leash. In allowing them to pounce, the Boro won a throw-in and tried to pounce themselves. Unfortunately it was a war of attrition in the centre of midfield, this paragraph proving just how dull this game had become.
A poor Cattermole volley on nineteen was greeted with yelps of pleasure from the travelling fans. The Boro were not distracted however as a Downing cross was met by Viduka's wrinkly brow at around twelve yards out. However all he could do was win a corner. Nothing resulted from this as Morrison's shot had far too much on it, travelling high, wide and completely useless.
On twenty-three another dangerous cross was scrambled away for a corner by Hull's Andy Dawson just as Viduka threatened to steal in.
On twenty-seven, Boro won a free-kick "in the D on the edge of the area" (as opposed to the D anywhere else on the pitch). Downing could not deposit the advantage as he blasted it straight at the bank of Hull players, making the Boro crowd rapidly lose interest.
And then a moment of pure magic. Debutant Seb Hines got the ball on the left, ghosted past a couple of Hull players, darted into the box and struck a fierce shot under Boaz Myhill from sixteen yards out. The ball nestled in the bottom right hand corner as the Boro faithful expressed their relief. A Seb-erstar was born.
MIDDLESBROUGH 1 (Hines, 32) HULL CITY 0
On thirty-seven Downing hit a sweet shot towards the right-hand corner of the goal. It deflected and sailed wide, generating a corner for the Boro. The corner was taken left-footed, the ball hit Viduka's head once more and it bounced down and then over the crossbar.
A minute later Viduka took the ball on, shimmied past two flailing defenders and launched a shot from an acute angle. It blazed narrowly wide, accompanied by a choir of 'oohs' from the crowd. It had evidently been close. Either that or the club were now serving Typhoo Tea at halftime and many of the crowd had simply taken early refreshment. We'll find this out - stay tuned for more caffeinated news.
Meanwhile there was a match going on, although the bottom of a rancid polystyrene cup of tea would have been more interesting than the succession of throw-ins that was making up the game. And then the whistle blew to awake us from our slumber, the Boro in the ascendancy and in complete control. Hull had not troubled Schwarzer but with just one goal scored, the Tigers were still in it.
THE SECOND HALF
Boro came out all guns blazing and reaped instant dividends - a bit like using a Co-op Reward Card to buy a packet of salami and a bottle of no-name vodka. A Yakubu shot thudded against the base of the post and fortuitously rebounded into the path of Viduka. The Australian made no mistake from eighteen yards out, scoring his sixth goal from the season. Hull, were well and truly dispatched.
MIDDLESBROUGH 2 (Viduka, 47) HULL CITY 0
On fifty-five Yakubu rifled a shot against the crossbar. The ball rebounded out to Stewart Downing some twenty yards out. The Boro youngster darted into the box and was up-ended by Ian Ashbee. Rob Styles had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Yakubu stepped up to take the kick. He watched the keeper go to the right and struck the ball to the left. It was goodnight Hull as Yakubu scored his eleventh of the season.
MIDDLESBROUGH 3 (Yakubu (pen), 57) HULL CITY 0
The night was quite short however as the Sun became ascendant in Hull's star-chart. Meanwhile Mars was in Scorpio and it was best not highlighting where Uranus was. A good ball in from the left by David Livermore after some shoddy Boro defensive play allowed Andy Dawson a glancing header from six yards out. He made no mistake with his effort, guiding the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
MIDDLESBROUGH 3 HULL CITY 1 (Dawson, 59)
Boro were disintegrating, in a game in which they had been comfortable. Heads started to be lost, typified by Abel Xavier who launched into Stephen McPhee on the edge of the box. Rob Styles adjudged the foul to have been inside the area and awarded his second penalty of the evening. Jon Parkin stepped up and buried the ball into the bottom-left hand corner, beyond the flailing Schwarzer. If they hadn't been back in it before, they were definitely back in it now.
MIDDLESBROUGH 3 HULL CITY 2 (Parkin (pen), 62)
But just as Hull were charting an escape, Boro struck back. Andrew Davies passed to Viduka, who strongly rammed his way into the box. From eighteen yards out, and an acute angle, he struck the ball beyond Myhill. It wasn't just Myhill now, it was Hull's Hill. And it once more resembled a mountain.
MIDDLESBROUGH 4 (Viduka, 63) HULL CITY 2
But Hull once more confounded their Premiership opposition. Jon Parkin punted a tricky cross into the box that needed all of Woodgate's composure to defend. Hull had nothing to lose and just when Boro thought they were comfortable, Hull used their third life.
Davies fouled Forster around twenty-five yards out. A free-kick was given and from it came the best goal of the night. Andy Dawson stepped up to take it, launched the ball over the wall, struck the underside of Schwarzer's cross-bar and it bounced under and in.
MIDDLESBROUGH 4 HULL CITY 3 (Dawson, 68)
With Boro's defence looking poorer than a Geordie beggar, Southgate opted to replace Xavier with the out-of-favour Ugo Ehigou. The hope was to shore up a defence that was leaking more than an octogenarian with a Typhoo fixation, resulting in a less messy result at the end.
Meanwhile things were getting Funky for Hull as they were starting to outfox the enemy. On seventy-three the impressive John Parkin forced an impressive save from Schwarzer after his shot threatened to nestle in the bottom right hand corner. Andrew Davies mopped the loose ball up with growling Tigers all around him.
On seventy-nine Schwarzer was forced into another save from Dawson from another free-kick. Once more the Hull man got the ball up and over the Boro wall and Schwarzer, back-tracking, finger-tipped the ball safely over the bar.
From the corner Hull missed a tap-in in the midst of a goalmouth scramble. Parkin crossed the ball in and it eluded every player in the Boro box, skimming harmlessly yet heart-stoppingly out for a throw-in.
The next ten minutes gave us more crosses than the end of "Life of Brian" until Dawson was granted another free-kick, this time from thirty yards out. A good block from Cattermole prevented his success this time, much to the relief of the spectating home fans.
Boro were hanging on - the announcement of four minutes of stoppage time being greeted by frustrated howls by the Lions in the crowd. In order to waste time Yakubu was substituted for Captain Break Leg himself - Malcolm Chrisite.
Cattermole saved Boro's bacon on ninety-one, providing a last-minute interception just as Forster threatened to side-foot home the equaliser. The ball went out for a corner, which was poorly taken, allowing the home side to break.
With nothing to lose, Hull broke forward once more, peppering the Boro penalty area with crosses. But with every passing second, came Hull's ever-impending passing and the referee eventually put the Boro fans out of their misery by blowing up.
Hull had nothing to lose, giving the Boro scare after scare in a confident and gutsy performance that is a credit to their League. The Boro however almost imploded, particularly defensively, but they got the result they needed. Bristol City away await in the next Round. But the question that is on every Boro fans' lips this evening is - why did we make this so hard work?
FULL TIME FAN REACTION
"We played well in the tunnel"
Deeno
"Just hope there's no knock-on effect versus Bolton defensively"
Peppery John.
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