Pye Green Towers 2 Monyhull 1

Last league game of the season and Assistant Manager Pete Langston called for Gaffer Millist to field his best team and go all out for some points to lift us off the bottom of the table

And, arguably that is just what he did. At least I would argue that that is what he did as I was in the starting eleven.

So could the hull take any points off the chip shop boys (see last years team photo), well, the score at the top says no, but it was a pretty good try.

The Gaffer started with Joel Estridge in goal and returned to his reliable centre back partnership of Langston and Big Ron(Rob) Jankowski that was beginning to look so secure in the run up to Christmas, with Nick Pritchard and Mad Dog Pickett (spotted driving at 25mph toward the game with one brake light out) at full back. Rainbow, Burke, Conlon and Tom Buckley made up the midfield with Tom Hales and Clarke up front.

The hull made a decent start, with both sides having a few chances, aside from a few mis-communications at the back, the hull defence wasn’t being stretched with Langston commanding in the air, and with plenty of pace to see off the Pye Green threat. Big Ron wasn’t having a bad game either, and when Pye Green did get through Estridge made some outstanding saves in a man of the match performance.

Up the other end, Hales was looking dangerous, always looking to get in behind the defence but in the end it was Clarke who lashed the ball home, after a lightning run down the wing from Tom Hales, his ball deflected into the path of Clarke who lashed it home, leaving the hull in no doubt about his hunger for goals as he broke his seasons duck.

Alas, the leadlasted seconds as straight from the restart Pye Green broke through a defence that had switched off, and a lucky deflection off a Pye Green player put their striker clear and despite a fine effort from keeper Estridge it was 1-1.

The half continued with Monyhull refusing to fold, Burke his usual committed self, chasing and getting his foot to everything and Conlon in a first half man of the match performance pulling the strings, and it was only for last ditch challenges that prevented Hales restoring the hull lead and only a stunning save from the towers keeper prevented Conlons 25 yard screamer from nestling into the top corner.

Pye Green themselves had chances, a header from a corner against the bar, Estridge with a sensational tip onto the bar from a close range effort, and a smothering save when Pye Green breached the hull defence.

Half time came and it was still 1-1 but the hull were growing in confidence, and though the defence were getting some rough treatment from a physical Pye Green team, the hull had matched them stride for stride, this was not a team joint bottom, surely!

Millist resisted the temptation to tinker with line up at half time, and the hull came out looking for a win. Tom Hales somehow got several nominations for man of the match despite missing more chances than Millist did last week, but considering the hull have mustered a shot on target a game, they were at last looking threatening. Why do strikers get away with everyone thinking they had a good game when they can’t hit the target, yet the defence can’t make a single mistake and get away with it?

The second half saw a change in the game, it became scrappy, with Burke and Conlon receiving attention from the Towers midfield and whilst the former used it to spur him on, the latter, Conlon, entered into a game of words which rendered him uneffective for most of the half.

In the end the Gaffer decided to make some changes and decided to bulk up the defence bringing on Webber for the lithe veteran Pete, and bringing himself and Joel Ekutshu on for Clarke and Buckley. It had been a pleasant spring morning, but one corner of the pitch turned arctic as Ekutshu came on in his gloves and tights, (the tights may be an exaggeration), but if it wasn’t for the Ballotelli hair cut I’m certain he would have been in a wooly hat as well.

Pye Green began to put some passes together. Conlon was booked for a professional foul, which made a change from the usual lip, Ekutshu also lost his cool and exchanged a few pushes, and as the pressure built Nick Pritchard was caught in possession in his own box and Pye Green were 2-1 up. Mistakes happen but the reaction was not acceptable as the young full back then lost his cool, and as Millist tried to sub him was red carded for swearing, leaving his team with a mountain to climb to retrieve something from a game they had been in command of.

A massive effort was called for, with Rainbow covering the entire flank as the back three moved across to fill in, but the final whistle went with the score unchanged.

While the aim from the start of the season was achieved as the final league table shows the hull one off the bottom, it wasn’t really in the plan to finish with only four points and to be off the bottom on goal difference. But, with the second cup to come the hull should go in confident that they can get something out of the games. And just wait for next season, will Lee score before the last game, will Conlon stay out of the referees notebook, will Millist hit the target, will anyone reach double figures for goals scored, will Burke make any friends quite as close as the Pye Green midfielder he was rolling around with on Saturday, will anyone look as old as Jamie Madden and will chairman Vince White be asked to leave again by the ref before he starts a fight.