Victory in the capital would send them to the national stadium and one game from a Premier League return
Oli McBurnie will be a key figure at The Den on Monday night (Image: Greig Cowie/Shutterstock)
Hull City have been written off all season, and on Monday night, they’ll be written off again when they kick off at The Den for the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final.
Nobody gave Sergej Jakirovic and his players a chance at the beginning of the season when they were tipped to be relegated to League One, and throughout a campaign where they surprised many, they still remained much-maligned, often disrespected despite winning game after game, taking scalp after scalp.
Just 90 minutes, possibly extra-time and penalties, now stand between the Tigers and one of the greatest achievements in the club’s history.
Jakirovic, with all that he’s had to deal with, guided the club to their highest league finish since winning promotion through the play-offs under Steve Bruce a decade ago. That in itself is a proud achievement, but they want more.
Simply being in the play-offs isn’t enough for this group of players, who have given absolutely everything for the shirt all season long, grafting week after week against teams backed to do better than they were.
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After Friday night’s first leg against Millwall at a bouncing MKM Stadium, both teams will kick off at 8pm on Monday night knowing everything remains up in the air.
Both clubs have excelled this season, both have surprised most pundits and observers, and one will be celebrating on the pitch at The Den, and hopefully, it’s those from East Yorkshire.
City have one game. Either their season ends in South East London, or it goes on to Wembley Stadium for the final on May 23, and a shot at promotion to the Premier League in what would be a life-changing moment.
The Tigers will have their backs against the wall, The Den will be hostile, and it will be angry. There will be Millwall fans foaming at the mouth, so determined will they be to see their side in the final.
For Jakirovic and his men, there’s nothing to fear. They’ve won comfortably in Bermondsey already this season, and yes, The Den will be louder and angrier than it was then, but they’ve already conquered it. They can do it again.
Unlike Southampton, Millwall and Middlesbrough, simply being in the play-offs is a major achievement. Automatic promotion was never really on the table, in truth, so the play-offs were the holy grail. Now they’re there, those players know they have it in their hands.
Win the tie, however that looks, and the journey continues. City are a fine team, but they are one packed with players capable of creating and executing in the big moments, and that’s exactly what Monday night will be.
This is a game to relish, one that should bring out the best in players like Coyle, Egan, Crooks, Slater, Lundstram, and McBurnie. Those players are built for moments like this. This is their time. Can they deliver? City must believe, and believe they can go into the lions’ den, and come out victorious.
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