The Liverpudlian put the gloss on a special away day for the Tigers, who beat Millwall 2-0 at The Den
Joe Gelhardt and Oli McBurnie celebrate at The Den(Image: Ian Tuttle/Shutterstock)
Hull City goalscorer Joe Gelhardt struggled to put into words his delight after netting the second goal that put the seal on the Tigers’ deserved 2-0 win at Millwall on Monday night, to send the Tigers to Wembley.
City are now just one game away from a return to the Premier League after a decade away, thanks to Mo Belloumi’s wonderful strike, which left The Den stunned and silent.
Belloumi then turned provider just over 10 minutes from time when he exchanged passes brilliantly with the evergreen Matt Crooks to cross for Gelhardt to power in his 15th goal of the season, and send a sold-out contingent of 2,100 away fans into ecstasy.
“It’s hard to describe, it’s hard to put into words, over the moon,” delighted Gelhardt told Hull Live. “I think the lads put on a great display and yeah, I’m buzzing to go to Wembley with the lads.
“The most important one (win of the season), definitely. The lads were brilliant from the first minute as well. Sometimes we were under a lot of pressure, which was expected. Millwall are a great team, so I think the lads defended very well. The second goal was what we’ve done all season, counter-attacking football, credit to the lads.”
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City started brilliantly to quieten the home crowd, before Alex Neil’s side enjoyed their only spell in the game, with Ivor Pandur forced into a couple of smart saves to deny Femi Azeez, but the Tigers roared again in the second half. Gelhardt praised the defensive rearguard in that first half, to give Sergej Jakirovic’s side the platform to go on and win the game.
“In the first 15 minutes, we started very well,” the former Wigan Athletic ace continued. “We had the best chances, and then the second 15 minutes were a lot more difficult for us. We weathered it well, and we defended very well, and as I say, credit to the lads, we dug in, and we’re happy to win the game.”
Belloumi’s goal was worthy of winning any game, and so important in such a contest, with the Algerian playing a starring role after coming off the bench just before half-time to replace the stricken Kyle Joseph.
“He’s a threat; he can produce moments of magic like that,” Gelhardt said of the winger. “We see it every day in training, and when he cuts in on the left foot, he’s very dangerous. He’s always looking for that far corner. He showed exactly what he can do. He’s a big threat.
“It gives you a little lifeline (scoring first), really, and yeah, we just built on that, I don’t think we just sat back and defended, we still looked a threat after that as well.”
Gelhardt’s strike came within a minute of him coming off the bench, and it sealed an historic victory in front of a sold-out away following in South East London.
“I just remember putting my head down and sprinting forward on the counter-attack, seeing Oli (McBurnie) make a move to the front post and took the defender with him. I got the ball, I couldn’t believe how much space I had, and I thought, just let it fly, and then it was like slow motion, just going in over the line, and I was just delighted.
“Credit to them, cos we could hear them all night. The Millwall fans are very loud, and we could still hear the Hull fans as well, so credit to them, and I’m delighted to be sending them back to Hull when they’ll be looking forward to Wembley.”
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