HULL CITY 1 SHEFF WED DIAME
It was a wonder goal’
gave Andy Robertson a glorious chance but he blazed over.
Carvalhal would have been forgiven for thinking the gods were smiling on him, and Sam Hutchinson’s effort as the game opened up was not too far over. It served as a reminder that the Owls were still in the hunt.
Whipped
But then Robert Snodgrass shifted the ball sideways to Diame and the former West Ham player, who would later make a fine tackle to nick the ball off Gary Hooper when he was well placed, whipped home the effort which lifted his side back into the big time just 12 months after they were relegated.
Dejected Wednesday boss Carvalhal insisted: “To talk about this game we must talk about the season we had.
“We achieved the play-offs with very hard work. In the final we played a strong team who were relegated from the Premier League and who have the same coach and have been together a long time.
“Hull City deserved to win the game. They were better than us.
“But the emotion after the game between our players and fans was a very good sign given we are unhappy at the moment. It showed we are proud with what we have achieved this season.
“We have woken up the giant more respected in the future.” club. The future now looks a lot brighter for the Bruce who had a personal stake in the outcome.
Former Manchester United defender has done the rounds,including two spells in charge of Wigan, at Crystal Palace, Birmingham City and Sunderland before taking the reins at Hull in 2012.
But this triumph topped it all for Bruce who, had Sheffield Wednesday triumphed, is likely to have walked away from another Championship campaign.
Diame, however, settled his manager’s immediate future by finally finding a way through after the Tigers wasted a string of chances.
Bruce said: “It was a wonder goal – it would have graced any final. The day has summed us up this season. I wondered if we were relying too much on Abel Hernandez up front.
“We had so many good chances – five or six gilt-edged ones – and on days like these you can’t keep missing them.
“But Mo has produced that bit of magic for us. He’s had a knee injury and it’s been tough on him. But boy, he’s come good.”
Allam has courted controversy throughout his reign as owner. He wanted to change the club’s name to the ‘Hull Tigers’ – sparking an outcry in the east Yorkshire city.
He was unable to make the trip to the capital to witness the 1-0 victory.
Bruce dedicated the triumph to Allam and said: “I’m dedicating this to the chairman. His ill-health concerns us all and for him, I’m very, very pleased.”