The Tigers twice fought back to earn a point in a 2-2 draw
Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic admits his side played like it was Christmas Day, but felt pleased to escape Hillsborough with a point after being held by Sheffield Wednesday on a chilly Boxing Day afternoon in the Steel City.
City twice found themselves in losing positions against bottom side Wednesday through goals after 21 and 60 minutes from Svante Ingelsson and Bailey Cadamarteri, with Mo Belloumi and Matt Crooks rescuing the below-par Tigers.
Referee Stephen Martin disallowed what appeared to be a perfectly good Liam Millar goal on the stroke of half-time, while Oli McBurnie looked to have been fouled inside the box in the second half, leaving the Tigers boss frustrated.
Jakirovic was also left sweating about the fitness of star man Belloumi, who left the field midway through the second half, complaining of cramp and will go for an MRI scan to see if there’s any damage ahead of Monday night’s trip to promotion rivals Middlesbrough.
“I’m satisfied with this point because how we played today was not so good, without energy, and we played like it’s Christmas today,” the Croatian told Hull Live.
“I can say it was like this, easy, 10 to 15 metres from their players. We were about 20 per cent of what we can be. We showed good character because two times we were down and we came back with two goals.
“In the end, we put everything offensively that we have on the bench, trying to score the third one, but I can be satisfied with this point for sure.”
Jakirovic warned against complacency before the game, and it was spoken about again between the players and manager ahead of their trip to the Steel City, but the head coach feels there may have been a bit that crept in, based on the performance.
“If you ask them, maybe they will say we gave one hundred per cent, but I know my team,” he confessed. “We struggled a lot, especially in the first half, with long balls.
“How we conceded these two goals is unbelievable, especially the first one. The second is clearly offside because the guy who blocks Akin Famewo is offside. He became active. This is a day in the office, you cannot change anything.
“Psychologically, I knew it would be a very difficult game because when you see the table and their points, Sheffield Wednesday are down there in the last position.
“You can make this game easy for yourselves if your attitude, your approach to the game, is professional. In this league, you cannot win against anyone without maximum effort, no way.”
Here at Hull Live , we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group.
You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service.
Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.