City’s heroes delivered one of the club’s greatest moments at Wembley on Saturday
Hull City’s players surround Oliver McBurnie after he scored the winner at Wembley(Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Hull City completed one of the great fairytales in recent football history when Sergej Jakirovic’s heroes secured promotion to the Premier League after beating Middlesbrough 1-0 at Wembley.
A host of players stopped by to chat to us before they left Wembley Stadium, including owner Acun Ilicali, Sergej Jakirovic and a host of other members of support staff.
Here’s a flavour of what they had to say at the end of what was an historic day under the arch….
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Acun Ilicali
“It’s the best day of my life,” Ilicali told Hull Live. “It means everything to me, to all these beautiful people in Hull, we deserved it. We believed it, and for me, from the first minute, Hull was my second home and the love they showed to me, our fans, what can I say more. They never left me feeling down, always up, up.”
Matt Crooks
“It was mental. I should have scored. That’s two games in a row now, I should have scored (second leg at Millwall, too). The header I fluffed it, but it was a good shot and a good block, so I’ll let myself off that one. It’s just a big blur. I can’t really remember. I just saw he (McBurnie) took his top off. That’ll be in my head forever. Ol whipping his top off. I’ve seen it too many times now, I’m used to it. I’m just so proud of the lads.
“They’ve been written off all season outside the building. I’ve said to you so many times that we have a quiet confidence about us. We go about our business in a certain way, which is frowned upon maybe sometimes outside of Hull, but the boys in the changing room, we had a lot of self-belief and characters in there that had a real steely determination, a lot of character and grit, and I think we showed that. It was tough out there. It was tough out there without the ball, we knew it was going to be like that, it was hot but we dug in and Oli comes up with the goal like he’s done all year.”
Ryan Giles
“I don’t know what to say, I’m a bit overwhelmed. Very overwhelmed, but very proud. Everyone’s written us off this year; we’ve just gone about our business, and we deserve it. We absolutely deserve it. We’ve got a group of men in the dressing room, a great togetherness. It’s very obvious that the spirit, the togetherness, is off the charts, really. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a dressing room like it, and I’ve been in a few. I know it’s a cliche, but I have, and it’s true. The togetherness in there is special, and I really felt it. The experience, the quality, we’re a good team.”
On coming off in the final 10 minutes: “Just cramp, it’s pathetic really, I hoped you weren’t going to ask me that,” he joked. “It was cramp, I don’t know why I got cramp. I guess it’s the heat, but it’s not like me, that. We’ve got lads that have come on and done the job.”
Kyle Joseph
“That’s just everything, honestly, I’m just so proud of all the players, the staff, everyone connected with the club, just so proud. I remember coming in last January and just seeing the state it was in, and to now, like days like this today, it’s just, it’s the reason why you do it.”
Regan Slater
“It feels unbelievable. It’s just not sunk in at all. It’s mad. Last season, when we stayed up at Portsmouth, I thought it was weird celebrating. It’s obviously an achievement because that’s where you are at that time, but to celebrate that is proper.
“I wanted to see the fans, I’m a big football fan, I love watching away ends and when fans go mad, so I ran straight over to Ol (McBurnie), and I was buzzing, but I quickly came out of it because I wanted to see the fans and how much they enjoyed it.
“I was getting impatient on the side. I’d come off at that point, which is a horrible feeling. I’d much rather be on the pitch; it’s a lot quicker when you’re on there. I just kept asking Erbs, the goalie coach, ‘how long’s he saying’ and he (Erbil Bozkurt) came out and said he’s (referee) playing to 104 minutes. It was going really slow, just watching the time ticking away.
“It’s unbelievable. I’ve got the medal around my neck, but it’s still not quite sunk in. Monday will be amazing for the city, for the lads, and they deserve every single bit of it. We’ve grafted away all season, and we’ve got what we deserve.”
Liam Millar
“Hard to put into words, it’s a dream come true. This group is something special. How we constantly just get results, I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s unbelievable. The World Cup will get in the way (of the trip to Las Vegas), but that’s OK. I’ve talked about it before, this is a dream come true and playing in a home World Cup is another dream come true, so that’s a sacrifice you’ve got to make to follow your dreams.”
Yu Hirakawa
“Honestly, I wanted to contribute more to this team, but I was injured with my ankle very soon after joining this team, so it was a very sad and difficult situation, but I returned to the grass for this performance, and I got promoted, so I’m so happy.
“When I get the ball, I normally look at McBurnie, and then I try to make some space, and then when I have the ball, I focus on McBurnie and how I can get a goal, and then this is a very good assist, and I’m pleased to make the assist.”
Joe Gelhardt
“It’s amazing, it feels brilliant. To get back to the Premier League with Hull City, I love the club, I’m buzzing.”
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