One hundred and four years they were deprived of a season in the top-flight, which makes Saturday 24 May 2008 a special day in Hull City’s century-old history. So extreme was the wait for the East Riding of Yorkshire side that this was a first visit to Wembley to contest this kind of match, with a Championship Play-Off Final against Bristol City beckoning.
Only a single point could separate Phil Brown and Gary Johnson’s teams, third and fourth in the league table, respectively. A 0-0 draw at the KC stadium but a 2-1 home win at Aston Gate saw The Robins edge the psychological head-to-head record during the campaign, in their search for back-to-back promotions. They say winning the Play-Off’s is the best way to go up, both teams equally deserving but there could only be one.
The team in Black and Amber endured a fairly straight forward semi-final against Watford. Nicholas Barmby and hometown-boy Dean Windass were quick to grasp the tie by the collar, scoring two first-half goals to earn their side a healthy lead on the road. After an early scare from the Hornets’ Darius Henderson in the home leg, it was business as usual from the Tigers, who scored a quadruplet of goals from four different players; Barmby found himself on the scoresheet once more, joined by Caleb Folan, Richard Garcia and Nathan Doyle, to give their team a commanding 6-1 win on aggregate and a ticket to the place where no Hull side had ventured before.
It would be niave to the plot not to mention it also being Bristol City’s first appearance in a play-off final too. This almost wasn’t the case for The Robins, with late goals beyond the full-ninety in both legs of the semi-final required to best Crystal Palace. A David Noble ninety-second winner gave Bristol a 2-1 lead in the tie to take back to the Southwest. Ben Watson, a scorer in the first leg, performed again for the London club to bring the teams level at 2-2 in the return fixture, sending the match to extra time. A flurry of goals from Lee Trundle and Michael McIndoe beyond the one-hundredth minute cemented the River Avon side a 4-2 victory on aggregate and a place under the famous arch.
The final was a tight and nervy affair, as expected for two teams competing in football’s most expensive game. A standard 4-4-2 formation for both, playing in front of their largest ever crowds who had each travelled over one-hundred miles to see the biggest game in their club’s history. A game of long ball basics in the sunshine, it was the team in red who looked to strike first. Dele Adebola used great strength to hold off Wayne Brown but failed to get enough purchase behind his shot to trouble Boaz Myhill between the sticks. Phil Brown’s side matched their oppositions projectile football with distanced passes of their own, pumping balls into Bristol City’s area to cause moments of unpredictability for the defenders.
Hull began to control the game as the fixture grew feistier, a clash of skulls between Barmby and Bradley Orr set the emotion. The only goal of the match ironically started at the opposite end, Adebola fumbled possession in a promising position, only to be booted high and clear of danger. Luck united Barmby with the ball as it hurtled back down, the former England international making up good yards to find Manchester United loanee Fraizer Campbell. The midfielder slalomed his way between a pair of dizzy defenders before picking out Windass who volleyed home into a crowd of fellow elated Yorkshiremen. Bristol should have equalised in the second half were it not for the Tigers Player of the Year Michael Turner throwing his body in the way of a goal-bound screamer. Twenty-seven times Hull were in front that season and only once had they not come away winners, a record that was extended once more upon the full-time whistle. A fitting player to win the occasion, substituted Windass sprinted over to his travelling fans, still bearing his clubs colours, before falling to his knees, curled up in tears of joy. Beyond him, a hand-made sign held up by an ecstatic Hull supporter reading: “Hullo Premiership”.
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