[themaclad]

HULL CITY
MKM STADIUM 21/4/2025 1500HRS

https://www.wearehullcity.co.uk/

MANAGER



Decent bloke is Ruben, looks like he likes a challenge

LAST TIME OUT

Having a penalty given against you for the ball hitting someone's face, tad harsh, seem to have the same inept referees as we do





MYSTIC MACS FORM GUIDE

HULL 6 PNE 2

NOTCHERS



Things to see in Hull on a Bank Holiday



The Wilberforce Monument is a monument honoring English politician and abolitionist William Wilberforce in Kingston Upon Hull, England. The ashlar structure consists of a Doric column topped by a statue of Wilberforce. Construction on the monument began in 1834 and was completed the following year. In 2011, it was designated a Grade II listed structure.

The Fitness Test
Paul Heckingbottom is likely to have the same group of players available to him as he did on Good Friday.

Ryan Ledson is being given a chance to return from his injury before the end of the season, but this match will come too soon. The same can be said for Brad Potts.

Ali McCann, Freddie Woodman and Jack Whatmough remain sidelined.

The Tigers

Hull City sit two points above the drop heading into the 44th round of Sky Bet Championship fixtures.

The Tigers began the campaign under Tim Walter and have worked under the management of Rubén Sellés since December, with one of his first games in charge coming at Deepdale on Boxing Day. A goal from Brad Potts earned North End the victory that day.

With three matches left, Hull have their Championship status on the line. Monday’s clash is the first of a home double-header, with relegation rivals Derby County next to head to the KCOM, before a final day visit to Fratton Park.

The Officials

Referee: Thomas Bramall
Assistant Referees: Scott Ledger and Akil Howson
Fourth Official: Ruebyn Ricardo

Thomas Bramall will referee Monday’s clash in Hull, for what will be his second PNE fixture of the season.

Bramall has incidentally taken charge of a fixture between North End and Hull City in the past – the goalless draw at Deepdale in March 2024.

In total this season, Bramall has shown 65 yellow cards and three reds in 20 matches.

MACS VIEW

The players owe us after Friday's hapless surrender, it's Bowler Hat day and we are playing a side who have won only 4 games at home this season and have a unique way of scoring own goals at the moment.
The Gentry Day in recent years has led to some utterly abysmal performances, tomorrow is not the day for another one

[themaclad]

Hull City 2 Gelhardt 2(2 pens) Preston North End 1 Gibson



Attendance: 22,103 (1,422 pre-sales).

Referee: Mr T Bramall.

26 points lost from winning positions, in the last 82 games we are averaging 1.12 points per game, virtually no midfielders left fit, and the possibility of the letter R appearing against the teams name at the end of the season. To add injury to insult, on the traditional end of season celebration of those no longer with us, only 7 of the players took the trouble to make an effort to thank the visiting support, the rest had long since disappeared down the tunnel.
Clubs a mess, the team Ridsdale built is fast running out of time.

Losing 2-1 with Hull defending en masse, what did we do?

The support catchy little ditty of backwards and sideways everywhere we go, etc, so easy for Hull to defend against, zilch movement, three points for Hull.
They scored from two penalties, the second was a penalty, having seen the first one, Mads did raise his foot but he certainly didn't kick the player in the head. Put itthis way the kind of decision we would not get.
Gelhart scored them both, and it was bleedingly obvious to us in the away end he would change direction of his kick, to be fair to Cornell, got a hand to the first.
First half fairly comfortable, thought we desrved to lead after a Gibson potted home a lose ball in the area. Danger from Hull came form the burly Amrabat, but can't recall Cornall being overly busy.
Once the penalties had gone in never looked like getting any, the gaffer was sent off for the possible foul on Thor in the box, put it this way been down the other end it probably would have been given.
Annoyance and the running of the club is growing, like on the pitch, backwards and sideways everywhere we go.
Plymouth home on Saturday, those two points we dropped after being 3-0 up could become all so costly

McCall

Stuart McCall feels it’s “absolutely ridiculous” for North End to have their Championship status still to play for going into the final two matches of the season.

PNE were defeated on Gentry Day, losing 2-1 to relegation-threatened Hull City, leaving the Lilywhites three points above the drop.

There have been many occasions this campaign where dropped points after strong performances looked like they were going to cost the team in a push for the top six, so North End’s assistant manager – speaking in place of Paul Heckingbottom, who received a red card after full-time – cannot believe he’s now talking about a fight at the other end.

Stuart said: “It's ridiculous. It's absolutely ridiculous. Even only a month ago, I was looking up thinking, ‘Can we catch Norwich? Can we catch Sheffield Wednesday? Can we catch Blackburn? We've got four games at home against teams below us.’

“At the minute, we've drawn two and lost one, so we've got to make sure we win next Saturday. It’s just not been good enough from everyone, myself included, and we've got to do far, far better.

“We've only got one concern now, one prime focus, and that's next Saturday. Then if we can get what's needed, and I hate saying it, but to stay in the league, which is something I should never be stood here saying after the sort of football and play that we've had in the middle to early part of the season, which should have got us more points, but it hasn't.

“The run we're on is poor, there's no getting away from it. So that's when mentality does come into the side and that's what we need to show throughout the club this week leading to the game.”

North End were ahead in the contest in Hull, with Lewis Gibson’s goal in the first half sending his side into the break a goal to the good.


Two penalties in the second, though, one of which PNE can feel hard done by about, offered Joe Gelhardt the opportunity – which he took – to earn the Tigers victory.

“Hugely, hugely disappointing,” added Stuart. “Again, to take the lead in a game and not come away with anything, it's criminal really. We had strong words to say to the players after the QPR game. I think everyone knew what was at stake.

“I certainly don't think there was a lack of effort or anything from the players. We come in at 1-0 and controlled large parts of the game. You expect Hull to come on to you, we defended reasonably well, and the second half we come out and it's a really, really poor decision by the referee to give them a penalty, which obviously they've scored.

“The momentum, the crowd, the balance of the game sort of changes in that period. They get another penalty kick and then after that, we huff and puff with balls across the box, opportunities blocked by them and they're hanging on to everything, fighting for their lives, which we should be and are.

“But yet again, I think somebody just told me that's six out of the last eight games we've been ahead. It's not good enough.”


Adding to the disappointment of the defeat was the fact that it came on Gentry Day, a hugely important occasion for the supporters of the club, as they take the opportunity to remember those who we have sadly lost.

Stuart said: “The vocal support started when we were out warming up. There was a good feel from the supporters behind the players and we come in with a lead at half-time and as I say the momentum switches on a penalty decision.

“You always feel for supporters when you lose naturally and especially when you travel distances like every away fan does, but on a day like today, that was the focus, trying to give them something to smile about on the way home.

“Obviously that's not been the case and not the case now. So listen, it's down to us, we've got to get the points to make sure we're playing in this league next season which is really hurtful for me to say but it's a fact of life.”

Selles

Rubén Sellés hailed a “simply massive” win after battling Hull City rallied to secure a crucial 2-1 comeback victory over out-of-form Preston North End.

Joe Gelhardt coolly converted two second-half penalties, awarded after first he and then Kyle Joseph had been felled, to overturn Lewis Gibson’s first-half opener, keeping City two points above the drop zone.

“In this part of the season, everything becomes so tight and so emotional that every moment and every action is crucial. At the end, it was a fantastic feeling,” said Sellés.

“The second half, we showed what we want to be and who we are, putting the opposition under pressure, being difficult to break and showing a lot of character and a lot of verticality and football.

“I’m happy for the boys because they’ve been working hard to get points, and we’ve probably not got as many as we wanted or deserved.

“The attitude has always been good towards the club, towards the training, towards the competition.

“Hopefully, we can take that victory into the next one and try to get the three points.”

Sellés continued: “We know every point is gold. Three points, due to the other games, is simply massive.

“It keeps us with that two-point advantage but not only that, it gives us that belief, that feeling we have been trying to find in the last couple of games to get the result.

“Overall, in the table, for the feeling of the players, for the feeling of the fans, for the way we do things, it’s been a very important day.”