Hull City Dreaming of Premier League Promotion

Sergej Jakirovic freely admits it. If you had told him back in August that Hull City would stand two wins from the Premier League, he would have called you “crazy”.

Yet here they are. Living what he calls “the dream”.

On Monday night at The Den, Hull walk into Millwall’s backyard for the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final. Another win in south London – a third in a row at this unforgiving ground – would haul the Tigers to Wembley on 23 May after Friday’s tense, goalless first leg at the MKM Stadium.

For a club that began the season under a transfer embargo, the scale of the climb is impossible to ignore.

“This is the dream, especially when we started with the [transfer] embargo and everything,” Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside. “It’s been an amazing season for us. We are two games from the Premier League and we will do everything we can to get there.

“I’d say you were crazy if you offered me this at the start of the season, nobody would have bet on this scenario. I am very proud. You cannot take anything away from the players this season – but the job is not finished yet.”

Fine margins and tired legs

Friday night was a scrap. Hull emptied the tank, but the breakthrough never came. The manager knows they’ll need more composure with the ball if they are to silence The Den again.

“We gave everything [on Friday]. We could play better, in some situations make better decisions,” he said. The squad spent the turnaround poring over video clips, tightening the details that decide play-off ties.

“We have shown some video clips of what we need to improve, where we need to handle some situations, especially when [Barry] Bannan comes. I hope we will fix these things and have an even better performance in terms of in possession.”

The problem? Time. And energy.

The 49-year-old admits Hull will “be short” in some areas, not through fresh injuries but because of fatigue and the relentlessness of the schedule. Darko Gyabi is a doubt for the trip to south London, and several players are still feeling their way back from recent layoffs.

“We have some positions we are short – no injuries, there is fatigue. A lot of players have come back from injuries and now must give everything,” Jakirovic said. “We are trying to find the best of what we have right now. It’s very important who might come on after 60 or 70 minutes as you might need them to play 120.

“We will 100% have some chances, we have to use them.”

That last line cuts to the heart of it. Hull believe they can open Millwall up again. The question is whether they can stay ruthless when the game begins to fray and legs begin to go.

A manager under control

Jakirovic will not just be managing his players at The Den. He will be managing himself.

He missed the final-day clash with Norwich through a touchline ban and knows that in the heat of a play-off cauldron, one flash of temper can ripple through a team.

“It’s very important to keep our heads, including me and my staff. I have had experience this season,” the Bosnian said. “My target for now is I must stay calm, no matter what happens on the pitch, stay focused and try to help the team and staff.”

His reference point is Turkey, where he has coached amid some of the loudest atmospheres in world football.

“We have amazing experience. In Turkey, when you go to Galatasaray, Fenerbahce or Besiktas, you can’t hear anything – not even the referee’s whistle.

“We must remember, it is 11 v 11 – those in the stands cannot play.”

That line will be repeated in the dressing room. The Den will roar. It always does. But Hull’s head coach wants his players to see through the noise and treat it like any other game of football, stripped of the drama that swirls around it.

Spygate shadows over Wembley chase

Waiting on the other side of this tie are Southampton or Middlesbrough, who played out a goalless first leg overshadowed by controversy.

Southampton have been charged by the EFL over allegations they spied on a Middlesbrough training session ahead of that match. The fallout has rippled across the division, and Jakirovic did not hide his sympathy for Boro boss Kim Hellberg.

“It’s not good. I completely understand Kim,” he said. “I saw [Hellberg and Saints boss Tonda Eckert] shake hands. It was very cold.

“It’s not fair play. It’s not good for the image of the league. You are in the headlines in every country. I completely understand Middlesbrough and their coach.”

Jakirovic likened the reports to something from a James Bond film. He stopped short of calling for a specific punishment, though, admitting he does not know what the rules prescribe.

“It’s a big call, a big decision. I don’t know the rules.”

That decision will rumble on in the background. Hull cannot afford to care. Their world, for now, is 90 minutes in south London, maybe more, with a season’s work riding on every duel and every run.

Two wins from the Premier League. “Crazy” a few months ago. Entirely real now.