City returned to action after the international break with a draw at the Kassam Stadium
Oli McBurnie cut a frustrated figure at the Kassam Stadium(Image: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Hull City were forced to settle for a point against Oxford United on Good Friday afternoon, despite Mo Belloumi’s fine goal inside just four minutes.
That lead lasted just nine minutes after Charlie Hughes’ lunge on the excellent Will Lankshear inside the box gave Cameron Brannagan the chance to equalise from the penalty spot.
Brannagan did just that, and in truth, City rarely looked like going on and winning the game, and were indebted to Championship debutant Dillon Phillips for preserving what could yet prove to be a valuable point in their quest for a play-off place.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page
A stodgy display
City’s form has just gone awry in recent weeks. Over the last six games, they sit 16th in the table and need to get back to some form of consistency if they’re to not throw away all their hard work.
This, like West Brom, was a really difficult game. It was a sloppy, lacklustre performance littered with errors. After two weeks without a game, they should have been vibrant, energetic and playing on the front foot.
Instead, it was error-strewn. I can’t remember a game where so many passes went out of play. It reminded me of Southampton’s display against City at St Mary’s back in February. They’re a lot better than what they showed on Friday, and they have to start finding their levels again. Those errors throughout were typified by what happened in the build-up to the penalty. All entirely avoidable, again, and that’s the frustrating thing.
Phillips’ debut
It’s been a long wait. Forty games, to be precise, for Dillon Phillips to get his chance in the Championship. While there were understandable nerves and the odd moment of hesitation, the experienced goalkeeper acquitted himself well.
He made one or two vital saves to keep City on terms and though he went the right way, he was never getting near Brannagan’s terrific penalty.
Ivor Pandur will start on Monday night, but this was an encouraging display from Phillips and should give him confidence should he be called upon in the final weeks.
The McBurnie problem
Not for the first time this season, City have left Oli McBurnie isolated. Throughout the entire game, there isn’t one opportunity created for McBurnie that springs to mind, and as a consequence, he’s dropping deep and having the ball in areas he can’t cause any damage.
Being without Ryan Giles is not an excuse, either. There’s enough quality in that side to be able to create something between the posts for the striker that he can actually attack.
Playing Matt Crooks further forward would be better. Crooks in and around McBurnie takes the pressure off him, and he can flick balls on and around him. Teams know if they stop McBurnie, then they can stop City playing, and they have to get around that.
Belloumi’s brilliance
It’s been 514 days since Mo Belloumi left the Kassam Stadium pitch on November 5, 2024, knowing he had sustained a serious knee injury. City were losing 1-0 in what turned out to be the penultimate game of Tim Walter’s ill-fated tenure, and to compound matters, just two weeks after Liam Millar damaged his knee ligaments against Burnley, disaster struck for Belloumi.
Five minutes from the end of the game, in front of an increasingly angered away following, Belloumi pulled up, and that was him done until the beginning of this campaign.
Shortly after stepping off the team bus, Belloumi made his way over the far corner of the Kassam Stadium to look at the spot where the injury happened, perhaps laying to rest some demons ahead of kick-off and before his first start since Boxing Day. |Whatever he did clearly did the trick because he was City’s best player by some distance, and his goal really should have instigated a good performance, which, unfortunately, didn’t happen.
Onto the big one
Attention now turns to Monday’s big showdown with Coventry City at the MKM Stadium. Under the lights, in front of the television cameras, against the best team in the league. City need a performance, but more importantly, they need a result against a team that will surely be playing in the Premier League next term.
They’re on a sticky run just now, and victory over the Sky Blues would be a huge boost and see them take a giant step towards securing a place inside the top six. After dropping two points at the Kassam Stadium, City need to turn in a display and keep the chasing pack below them.
The MKM Stadium needs to be loud, passionate and right behind the home side. It needs the team to be positive, calm and sensible and not give away any stupid goals, as we’ve seen in the past couple of games.
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.