Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DOOMED & GLOOM
Tigers left needing a miracle as Lualua grabs a Luton lifeline
RYAN TAFAZOLLI insisted the players do care as Hull prepare for life in League One.
Grant Mccann’s men need a minor miracle to avoid a second relegation in four seasons after Kazenga Lualua’s late winner condemned them to a fifth straight defeat.
Hull must win at play-off chasing Cardiff and hope other results go for them after chalking up just one victory since New Year’s Day.
Fans gathered to protest against Mccann and the club’s unpopular owners, the Allam family, during and after the match as the third tier beckons for the first time in 15 years.
Tafazolli showed more backbone than most of the Hull squad have displayed for the last six months to apologise to supporters for the tailspin sparked by the January sale of top scorers Jarrod Bowen to West Ham and Kamil Grosicki to West Brom.
Wigan’s 12-point deduction for entering administration could yet come to the Tigers’ rescue, and the defender said: “No-one went out there today with the intent of losing the game. We’re sorry, we really are. Honestly, we’re all hurting.
“In the dressing room, there are people crying. This affects all our families and our livelihoods. We’ve got one game left to go, we’ve got to try to win that and hope that can keep us up.”
Grant Mccann admitted Hull’s plight had taken its toll, and the beleaguered Hull head coach said: “It’s been disastrous from late January onwards. It kills me.
“The owners could have sacked me three months ago. My wife and kids were crying on the phone the other night. It hurts, because I take it so personally and always blame myself first.
“We simply haven’t been good enough for a long time.”
Luton were 18 points behind the Tigers at the start of the year, but leapfrogged their relegation rivals thanks to Lualua’s first goal for seven months – the second-half sub thumping home a low 20-yard drive with five minutes left to settle a tense basement battle.
The return of boss Nathan Jones in May sparked a stunning revival that’s seen them lose just once in 11 games, and a final-day victory at home to Blackburn could seal another season of Championship football.
After back-to-back promotions, Jones insists his side are used to handling pressure – albeit at the other end of the table. He said: “It’s a magnificent result for us and keeps it tight at the bottom.
“We’ve been used to pressure games because we’ve been at the top of the league for three years.
“This year it’s slightly different but we’ve given ourselves a chance.”