The celebrations have not stopped for City’s promotion-winning heroes
Ivor Pandur kept three clean sheets in the play-offs to help City win promotion(Image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Ivor Pandur admits he’s still struggling with his voice almost two weeks on from Hull City‘s stunning play-off final win over Middlesbrough at Wembley.
The Croatian goalkeeper, who is preparing for the World Cup out in the USA, became just the fourth stopper in history to keep clean sheets in the play-off semi-final and final when he kept out Millwall and Boro.
Pandur spoke before the game about what it would mean to help promote City to the Premier League, and that dream has now become a firm reality for the 26-year-old.
“My voice still isn’t at 100 per cent yet, but as you can hear, the celebrations were incredible,” he told reporters. “The whole story is unbelievable, and I’m grateful to have been part of it. The emotions have settled a bit now.
“We enjoyed ourselves as a team for several days. I had my whole family, friends and girlfriend there, so those were beautiful days. Honestly, it still hasn’t fully sunk in how big what we achieved really is.”
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page
Like Liam Millar and Amir Hadziahmetovic, Pandur was unable to join a host of players in Las Vegas over the past few days, but was still able ot enjoy the post-match celebrations that will live long in the memory after one of the club’s greatest achievements.
“The celebrations were incredible,” he continued. “The whole story is unbelievable, and I’m grateful to have been part of it. I approached the play-off final like any other match, without putting pressure on myself, even though there was a lot to gain. It’s wonderful, although while you’re playing, you don’t really realise how huge it all is. Your focus is simply on doing your job. Of course, all the buzz surrounding the match is something unbelievable.”
Pandur also missed the civic reception on Bank Holiday Monday because of his flight to the USA, and has had his say on Jakirovic’s superb retort that he’d failed in keeping the Tigers in the Championship. “That’s a top-class quote. It’s an unbelievable success that maybe still isn’t appreciated enough right now,” he added, before going on to lavish deserved praise on his countryman.
“I could talk about him until tomorrow and how much I respect him, both as a person and as a coach,” he continued. “If Jakir and his staff were my coaches for the rest of my career, I would be a happy and fulfilled man. He is not burdened by ego. He adapts well, and his greatest quality is always finding a way to win. From a coaching perspective, I don’t think it gets better than that.”
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.