City’s hometown skipper led the Tigers to a dramatic promotion at Wembley
Hull City’s Lewis Coyle celebrates with the trophy after winning promotion to the Premier League.
Hometown hero Lewie Coyle delivered an emotional speech in the winning dressing room at Wembley on Saturday, after Hull City overcame the odds to secure promotion to the Premier League.
Oli McBurnie’s historic winning goal in the 95th minute sealed the most dramatic of Championship play-off final victories on a blisteringly hot afternoon in the capital.
Coyle, who spoke about what it means to lead City to promotion in the build-up to his biggest day as captain, couldn’t hide his emotion when he delivered a speech from the heart moments after Sergej Jakirovic’s players had left the Wembley pitch.
“It’s important that we enjoy this moment. I spoke about it before the game in the huddle with the lads, and I said, ‘I’ve said it so many times, I think today was all about your why, and my why is well documented,” the skipper said.
“I’m not gonna get upset, don’t worry, lads. My why’s my old man. I lost him three years ago, in a tragic way, and I was probably something to do with it that night, and that’s something I’ve never sort of lived down. I’ve struggled with that for a long time, you lads give me a reason to come into work, give me a reason to focus, and you all give me a reason to ensure I could do this to pay back my old man.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page
“This is the closest thing I’ll ever get to paying back my old man. I’m saying thank you for what he did for me and my brothers, and I’m sorry for what happened on that night. You boys helped me achieve my dream, and I couldn’t have done it without you.
“It’s a team sport and that staff included some special staff at this football club, and no one can ever take this away from us boys. I know there’s other fellas in here. I met Eags (John Egan) for a reason. He told me he was going to get me up them steps, and I know we’ve all, it’s not just about me, we’ve all got our own story.
“We all struggle with stuff every day, and I think it’s really important that we do everything we can to enjoy this and make sure you enjoy it with your families, and that’s certainly what I’ll do. And chairman. Is that trip (to Las Vegas) sorted or what?”
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.