Ipswich Town v Hull City AFC 
Tuesday 24th November 2020 – 19:00
Portman Road
Pre Match Thoughts - Mike
Six Of The Best........
Six Home league games, Six Home wins, it doesn't get any better than that and while Two or Three of those performances haven't been impressive or convincing what is impressive and convincing is our 100% home record with only a penalty conceded in all those games. Yes we all want to see swashbuckling, dominant performances every week but it just isn't reasonable to expect it from what in reality is an average Town team these days, especially one decimated by injuries, another two bit the dust yesterday to leave us threadbare and down to the bare bones in numbers so I think a little bit of credit wouldn't go amiss to recognise that somehow we ground out a win when in truth we were not very good at all, they say it's the sign of a good team, a successful team and a team with a bit of resilience about it, time will tell on all those points but it was certainly a welcome Three points when in seasons gone by we would NOT have won that game, that much is certain and it augers well.
It has been said by many that this week while not make or break a run of Three home games could go a long way to defining which course the season takes so to get the first win under our belts is massive, with Hull & Charlton to come this looked on paper at least the easiest of the Three games, it has been suggested Two draws here would be acceptable but I am thinking Charlton ?? Why so scared of Charlton ? Certainly with a full squad to choose from I would fancy us at home any day of the week, Hull maybe a different kettle of fish.
Seeing Nolan & Bishop hobbling off is clearly a major concern but one mans bad luck is another mans chance and up stepped Jack Lankester and Keanan Bennetts to steal the limelight and throw their names into the mix for a regular starting berth, at the time of writing we have no idea as to the severity of the latest injuries, nor do we know how long or how serious the injuries are to Gwion Edwards & Oli Hawkins, fingers crossed one or two of these are good to go on Tuesday. While the Bennetts effort was classed as an own goal there is no doubt as to who got the winner and a big well done to Jack Lankester for getting himself into the box to benefit from a good ball in by Alan judge who it has to be said frustrates me beyond belief, he really is lucky to be finding his way into the team so easily but the assist cannot be denied so fair play to him for that.
I have to be honest, after his first couple of appearances I thought young Mark McGuinness looked right on it and whilee the lad is doing ok I feel the last two or Three games have maybe seen a few flaws to his game which for one so young is to be expected, I felt he was very "iffy" yesterday, not just with the concession of the penalty but on a few other occasions he was caught out, while we all know Toto can often put in a howler of a pass or a rash tackle his covering of his younger CB partner was at times very good and indeed crucial, I felt Toto was the best of the back four all game, albeit against a not very good opposition. I do feel a special mention should go to young Brett McGavin who I felt had a very good game and looked composed throughout, he has certainly propelled himself into the managers thoughts at a time when opportunity is there to seize your chance, the Midfield is racked with injuries and McGavin's emergence could well be a life saver, so what a time to put in a MOTM performance.
We don't have to wait long for the second installment in this home trilogy with Hull City making the long midweek trip to Portman Road. Hull roll into town as League Leaders following their 3-1 win at The Stadium MK on Saturday and Peterborough's home revers against Blackpool, the Tigers sit two points ahead of Town so a win here and we could well be back on top again come Tuesday evening, although with Peterborough again at home, this time to Plymouth Argyle, that honour may well have to wait a while longer, all we need to concentrate on is the job in hand and at the very least we must avoid defeat.
I think it is fair to say it is going to be our biggest test of the season so far and with so many players out or doubtful I would not be unhappy with a share of the spoils at all, what I do know is that a repeat of the performance from saturday and we will be in trouble, it has to be better and needs to be better but I think everyone knows that. We are going to lose our 100% home record at some point and this could be it. I think I will do a bit of fence sitting and go for a low scoring draw which as I said is not a total disaster. 1-1 draw for me. COYB'S
The Opposition – Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club was founded in June 1904, previous attempts to found a football club had proved difficult because of the dominance in the city of rugby league. teams such as Hull F.C. and Hull Kingston Rovers. These early matches were played at the Boulevard, the home of Hull F.C. After disputes with landlords at the Boulevard, Hull City moved to Anlaby Road Cricket Ground. Hull City were admitted into the Football League Second Division for the 1905–06 season. and finished the season in fifth place.
Hull City and Grimsby Town were the only two professional teams which had official permission to play league football on Christmas Day because of the demands of the fish trade. That tradition has now disappeared following the dramatic reduction of their trawler fleets in recent years. The following season a new ground was built for Hull City across the road from the cricket ground. Hull continued to finish consistently in the top half of the table. They came close to promotion in the 1909–10 season, recording what would be their highest finish until they matched it in 2008. Hull regularly finished in the top half of the table before the First World War, but after the war the team finished in the bottom half in seven seasons out of eleven, culminating in relegation to the Third Division North in 1930.
Hull's greatest achievement in cup competitions until 2014 was in 1930, when they reached the FA Cup semi-finals.
After the Second World War, the club moved to another new ground, Boothferry Park. In the 1948–49 season, Hull won the Third Division North championship. "Yo-yoing" between the second and third tiers of English football, Hull City had promotion seasons from the Third to the Second Division again in 1959 and 1966, winning the Third Division in the latter.
By the early 1980s, Hull City were in the Fourth Division, and financial collapse led to receivership.
Don Robinson took over as chairman and appointed Colin Appleton as the new manager. Promotion to Division Three followed in 1983.
Hull reached the Second Division in 1985. They remained there for the next six years before finally going down in 1991. Hull finished 14th in the Third Division in the 1991–92 season, meaning that they would be competing in the new Second Division the following season.
In their first season in the rebranded division, Hull narrowly avoided another relegation, but over the next two seasons they achieved mid-table finishes. Financial difficulties hampered City's progress, as key players had to be sold to fend off winding-up orders. In the 1995–96 season Hull were relegated to the Third Division.
In 1997 the club was purchased by former tennis player David Lloyd. Hull's league form was steadily deteriorating to the point that relegation to the Football Conference was looking a real possibility. Lloyd sold the club in November 1998 to a South Yorkshire based consortium, but retained ownership of Boothferry Park.
Despite briefly being locked out of Boothferry Park by bailiffs and facing the possibility of liquidation, Hull qualified for the Third Division play-offs in the 2000–01 season. A boardroom takeover by former Leeds United commercial director Adam Pearson had eased the club's precarious financial situation and all fears of closure were banished as he ploughed funds into the club.
Hull relocated to the new 25,400-seater KC Stadium after 56 years at Boothferry Park.
Hull were Third Division runners-up in 2003–04 and League One runners-up in 2004–05; these back-to-back promotions took them into the Championship. The 2005–06 season, the club's first back in the second tier, saw Hull finish in 18th place and their highest league finish for 16 years.
Adam Pearson sold the club to a consortium led by Paul Duffen in June 2007, stating that he "had taken the club as far as I could", in order to attract "really significant finance into the club". Under Paul Duffen and manager Phil Brown, Hull City improved greatly on their relegation battle of 2006–07 and qualified for the play-offs after finishing the season in third place. They beat Watford 6–1 on aggregate in the semi-finals and played Bristol City in the Final on 24 May 2008, which Hull won 1–0 at Wembley Stadium. Their ascent from the bottom division of the Football League to the top division of English football in just five seasons is the third-fastest ever.
Despite being one of the favourites for relegation in the 2008–09 season, Hull had only one defeat in their opening nine gamesand found themselves (temporarily) joint-top of the Premier League table on points (third on goal difference — ten years previously, they had been bottom of the fourth tier of English football.
Hull's form never replicated the highs of the early autumn, with the team winning only two more games over the remainder of the season, but secured their top-flight status on the last day of the season due to other results.
On 29 October 2009, chairman Paul Duffen resigned his position with the club, and was replaced by former chairman Adam Pearson. On 15 March 2010, manager Phil Brown was put on gardening leave after a run of four defeats left Hull in the relegation zone. Brown's replacement was former Crystal Palace and Charlton boss Iain Dowie, and the appointment was met with some disbelief by supporters who were hoping for a "bigger name" replacement. Hull City's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed on 3 May 2010
A reported block on player transfers into the club, set in place by the Hull City board on 28 July 2010 until transfers out would substantially reduce the £39 million-per-year wage bill, at first cast doubt on the new manager's (Nigel Pearson) efforts to build a squad capable of a quick return to the Premier League. The team set a new club record on 12 March 2011 with 14 away matches unbeaten, breaking a previous record held for over 50 years.
On 15 November 2011, Nigel Pearson left the club to return to Leicester. Nick Barmby was appointed as his successor, but was sacked in May 2012 after publicly criticising the club's owners in an interview given to a local newspaper. In the same month, the club's consultancy agreement with Adam Pearson was terminated.
On 8 June 2012, Steve Bruce was appointed manager of the club on a three-year deal, and he guided Hull back to the Premier League on the final day of the season.
On 13 April 2014, the club reached its first FA Cup Final . Their place in the 2014-15 Europa League, regardless of whether they won the 2013-14 FA Cup, was confirmed on 3 May as Everton's failure to win meant that Hull's FA Cup Final opponents Arsenal would compete in the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League.
On 31 July 2014, Hull made their debut in European competition, in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round, with a 2-1 aggregate win over Slovakian side FK AS Trenčín. An away goals aggregate loss against Belgian outfit Lokeren marked the end of Hull's first foray into European football.
In March 2015 Steve Bruce signed a further three-year deal with the club. Hull were relegated from the Premier League after the 2014-15 season, finishing eighteenth with 35 points.
Via the playoffs Hull returned to the Premier League at the end of the 2015/16 season.
On 22 July 2016, Bruce resigned from his position. Mike Phelan became Hull's permanent head coach. On 3 January 2017, Phelan was sacked by Hull City, less than three months after being made permanent.
On 5 January 2017, the club announced the appointment of Marco Silva as the new head coach until the end of the 2016–17 season. On 25 May 2017, following relegation from the Premier League, Silva resigned and the club announced the appointment of Leonid Slutsky as head coach.
On 3 December 2017, Slutsky left the club by mutual consent after a run of bad results. On 7 December 2017, Nigel Adkins was appointed as head coach on an 18-month contract.
The following season, despite being in the relegation zone after 19 games, an upturn in form saw the Tigers finish in 13th place. However, Adkins resigned at the end of the season after rejecting a new contact.
On 21 June 2019, Grant McCann was appointed as head coach on a one-year rolling contract. In a season delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Hull started well but lost 16 of their last 20 games, a run that included an 8–0 hammering at Wigan. On 22 July 2020, Hull were relegated to League One.
The Manager – Grant McCann
Form Guide
Ipswich Last 5 Matches – Currently in 3rd place with 24 points
24 Oct Lincoln City 1 - 0 Ipswich Town
27 Oct Ipswich Town 1 - 0 Gillingham
31 Oct Ipswich Town 1 - 0 Crewe Alexandra
3 Nov Sunderland 2 - 1 Ipswich Town
21 Nov Ipswich Town 2 - 1 Shrewsbury
Hull City Last 5 Matches - Currently in 1st place with 27 points
27 Oct Bristol Rovers 1 - 3 Hull City
31 Oct Swindon Town 2 - 1 Hull City
3 Nov Hull City pp. Accrington
14 Nov Hull City 2 - 0 Burton Albion
21 Nov Milton Keynes 1 - 3 Hull City
Match Referee – Lee Swabey
IPSWICH TOWN 1 HULL CITY AFC 1
