BRUCE’S PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED AS THE RELEGATION DOGFIGHT HOTS UP
Bargain buy’s golden goals are enough to keep Hull hopes alive
STEVE BRUCE hooked Dame N’Doye straight off the bargain rail on transfer deadline day in January but he scored arguably the two most valuable goals of Hull City’s season so far, keeping them out of the relegation zone with an unenviable run of fixtures looming.
Hull inflicted a second consecutive defeat on Crystal Palace but Alan Pardew reserved the blame for Mark Clattenburg, claiming the referee had made several incorrect decisions.
N’Doye looked like being the joker of the piece after missing a sitter in the first half but the Senegalese emerged the hero, keeping his wits to tap into an empty goal and then sending an angled effort soaring into the net in the 91st minute.
It was a fifth goal in 10 games for the 30-year-old who took a huge pay cut to secure a move to Humberside from Lokomotiv Moscow.
‘He’s done terrific since he walked through the door in January,’ said Bruce. ‘He’s given the team a lift. You’re only as good as what you’ve got up front because you don’t get that many chances and that’s been our problem this season.
‘He’s certainly given us the impetus up front. He usually scores in batches so let’s hope he gets three or four goals and keeps us in the division.’
Hull seemed to be living on their nerves for the dying minutes of this match, no doubt the reality of the relegation battle creeping into a few minds.
Bruce repeatedly glanced at his watch, willing away the time before N’Doye’s second goal, in clear view of the travelling fans in the sunsoaked Arthur Wait stand.
They are not out of the relegation mire just yet, though. Hull face four of the Premier League’s top six sides in their final five games of the season — Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United at home and Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Their other match, the supposed ‘easy one’, is against Burnley, a side who have beaten Hull in eight of their nine meetings since 2009.
‘We know we’ve got to get a result against at least one of the big teams and the Burnley game looks huge at the moment,’ admitted Bruce.
His sense of relief was almost palpable when what would have been an 82nd-minute equaliser for Crystal Palace was disallowed by Clattenburg, who spotted Yannick Sagbo pulling down on Paul McShane, causing the defender to fall to the floor before Sagbo headed the ball into the net.
‘You know if you’re a centre half you’ve got a bit of jostling going on and at set-plays,’ said Pardew,
‘In that situation the centre half knows there’s going to be a little bit of jostling going on but he goes to ground and buys the free-kick, in my opinion.
‘Not many referees I know would have given that in that situation.’
As he left the pitch at half-time Bruce scratched his head repeatedly, perhaps wondering if his side had blown their chance after dominating the first half.
The best chance fell to N’Doye in the 14th minute courtesy of a superb Robbie Brady cross but the Senegalese striker miscued his effort from two yards, sending the ball wide of the target.
In a timely display of excellence Julian Speroni, who signed a new contract this week which will keep him at Selhurst Park next year, sprung to Palace’s rescue several times, as he has so often over the last two seasons.
The Argentine made a double- save, first brushing aside a Sone Aluko cross then diving across goal to deny Tom Huddlestone’s powerful right foot curling effort from distance.
Speroni’s inspired performance continued after the break as he made a great save from N’Doye’s low header from a deep Ahmed Elmohamady cross — but he was then powerless as Hull opened the scoring.
Midfielder Robbie Brady nipped in behind Wilfried Zaha and his shot bounced off the thigh of keeper Speroni and straight into N’Doye’s path for him to steer in on 51 minutes.
It was not as spectacular as his 91st-minute winner but they all count, as Bruce pointed out.