Hull City’s dreadful run in the FA Cup contained for a fifth straight year as they were embarrassed by former manager Grant McCann, who knocked his old club out of a cup competition for the second successive season at the MKM Stadium, winning on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Luke Molyneux’s goal early in the second half, after capitalising on some awful defending, looked to have been enough until Gustavo Puerta levelled to take it to penalties, but after having a kick to win it, City lost it.
Rovers stormed into the lead early in the second half when Molyneux robbed the pocket of Ryan Giles to slot beyond debutant Carl Rushworth and break the deadlock, and in truth, the turgid hosts rarely looked like getting back into it, so tepid were they, until Mason Burstow hit the post and Puerta slammed in the rebound with 10 minutes to go.
A period of extra-time could not separate them, and so to penalties, it went in the freezing East Yorkshire temperatures. Carl Rushworth saved the first, but after four perfect penalties, Burstow blazed over with the chance to win. Alfie Jones’ sudden-death kick was saved and Harry Clifton put away the winning kick, City out early again and no hint of cup cheer yet again, either.
Boss Selles made five changes from the side who roared back to draw 3-3 with Leeds United last Saturday going really strong agianst Rovers. In for his debut came Carl Rushworth, while there were returns for Cody Drameh, Ryan Giles, Fin Burns and Gustavo Puerta, along with a first start this season for Harry Vaughan.
There was no place in the squad for Matty Jacob nor Abdus Omur, who was replaced on the bench by academy youngster Zane Myers, the 18-year-old left-back, with him joined by the likes of Andy Smith, Tyrell Sellars-Fleming and Rocco Coyle. Ryan Longman wasn’t fit enough to return from his groin problem, while there was no Chris Bedia or Anthony Racioppi amid doubt about their futures.
It took barely 30 seconds for Billy Sharp to get in on the act, after Drameh gave the ball away from the kick-off on an increasingly difficult playing surface, the ball was worked out to Jamie Sterry who turned over a cross which the veteran striker rose to head well over Rushworth’s bar.
City were pushing forward on what was becoming an increasingly difficult pitch with six corners in the opening 20 minutes, but Rovers were persistent in sticking to their task, blocking shots and crosses, with only Kamara’s volley into the turf from Giles’ left-wing cross requiring saving by goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe.
Rovers, pinned back and relying on errors to break on the counter, were under attack again moments later when Pedro did well to hold off a challenge to feed Puerta, who had just seen the referee intercept a probing forward pass, angle an effort just over the corner of the bar with the goalkeeper in full sprawling mode.
Joseph Olowu was the first booking of the afternoon 10 minutes before the break when he dragged back Vaughan, who had gone past him and a couple of others before being sent to the floor on what was threatening to become a dangerous run.
Pedro was fouled on the edge of the Rovers box on the cusp of half-time, with John McGrath booked, and from that, the Italian international forced a good low save from the goalkeeper, as City looked to try and find a breakthrough, and that should have come in added time at the end of a first which started brightly before resembling a pre-season game with a host of stoppages when Slater and Kamara combined nicely to see the winger strike wide of the far post from the right side of the box.
The visitors were not without a threat on the counter, but with 76 per cent possession in a dominant first half, Selles would have been frustrated to have not made that dominance pay in the first period. Burns, who took a shot to the head in the first half and seemed to struggle thereafter, was replaced at the break by Alfie Jones, while Xavier Simons came on for Alzate.
Rovers scored seven minutes into the second half when the Tigers gave the ball away, a simple pass in behind wasn’t dealt with by Giles who had his pocket picked by Molyneux who calmly slotted into the bottom corner to send 2,300 away fans into raptures. It was another shambolic goal conceded by City, yet again the recurring theme of the campaign to date.
Giles was hauled off moments later while Vaughan’s encouraging showing came to an end with Lewie Coyle and Mason Burstow on in their places just after the hour. Harry Clifton, just on the pitch, was booked for hacking down Puerta as he surged through the middle of the park. Puerta then turned in the equaliser with 10 minutes to go after Burstow’s effort came back off the post.
Rushworth made a smart save straight from the restart and then City had the chance to go in front when Kamara rounded the goalkeeper outside his box after Pedro’s pass, who brought him down. The referee took an age to make his decision, booking Sherman-Lowe.
Coyle should have won it with four minutes left after a scramble inside the box, but he could only slam his effort over from six yards out on his left foot, so the tie went into thirty minutes of extra-time. Extra-time was a non-event until the 27th minute when Jones forced a flying save from the goalkeeper, the only City player prepared to shoot, and so, it went to penalties.
Joao Pedro, Sean McLoughlin, Regan Slater and Lewie Coyle all scored before Burstow blazed over, while Jones saw his kick saved, and Clifton slotted in the winning kick. McCann has now won all three games against City since he was sacked three years ago, and this one will have tasted as sweet as the others – in fact, the Tigers have not won a cup game since he was manager, so poor have they been in both domestic cups.
Any hope of Selles’ side building some momentum after the rip-roaring Leeds comeback was also extinguished with a desperate second-half showing.
City: Rushworth, Giles, McLoughlin, Burns, Drameh, Alzate, Puerta, Slater (c), Vaughan, Kamara, Pedro. Subs: Pandur, L Coyle, Jones, Myers, Simons, Smith, Sellars-Fleming, R Coyle, Burstow.
Rovers: Sharman-Lowe, Sterry, Maxwell, Olowu, Molyneux, Broadbent, Street, Sbarra, Sharp, Bailey (c), McGrath. Subs: Lawlor (GK), Anderson, Gibson, Clifton, Nixon, Ennis, Ironside, Senior, Close.
Referee: Sunny Singh Gill
Attendance: 10,032