The Under-23s recorded their first win in the Group Stage of the Premier League Cup with an impressive 3-2 victory over Category One Brighton & Hove Albion at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre on Friday night.
Looking to bounce back from a 2-0 home defeat to Exeter City in their opening fixture of the competition, Jon Beale’s side made the perfect start - taking the lead after just 80 seconds.
Josh Kerr gifted possession to Keane Lewis-Potter inside the Brighton half, who started a flowing team move that involved Ben Hinchliffe, Tyler Hamilton and Tom Powell, with the latter’s cross finished by the unmarked Hinchliffe at the back post.
It could have been 2-0 four minutes later as the hosts needlessly gave the ball away inside their own half once again, but on this occasion, Hamilton’s effort was straight at Tim McGill in the Brighton goal.
The hosts created their first opening almost moments later when George Cox’s low cross was met at the near post by Sam Baldock, but the striker’s first-time effort was well saved by Harrison Foulkes.
The end-to-end action continued as a ball over the top released Hinchliffe, but the winger’s pull-back was behind Powell in the middle, allowing the home defence to clear the danger.
Foulkes was worked once again when he was called upon to make a smart save low to his left, pushing away Max Sanders’ powerful strike from distance. The rebound fell invitingly to a number of Seagulls’ players inside the box, but none could take advantage.
However, the hosts finally got themselves back on level terms on 27 minutes. Aaron Connolly collected Steven Alzate’s neat lay-off on the edge of the box and produced a calm and composed finish to guide the ball past the outstretched arm of Foulkes.
The 16-year-old custodian kept the Tigers on level terms with a smart save to deny Baldock, before Soufyan Ahannach wasted a glorious opportunity to put his side ahead, somehow firing wide from Baldock’s precise cross when left completely unmarked at the back post.
And the hosts were made to pay for the miss four minutes before the break. Lewis-Potter advanced forward into space and rolled the ball to Hinchliffe, and when the striker’s shot was palmed into the path of Powell, the Tigers’ front-man made no mistake with a composed finish to bag his third goal in as many starts in black and amber at Development Squad level.
On the brink of half time, Alzate found space on the right and shifted the ball smartly to strike from 15 yards out, but the crossbar denied the winger an equaliser.
Albion had a flurry of corners early in the second half and finally made one count 11 minutes after the restart. Ahannach’s whipped delivery was met by Kerr, and his glancing header across goal was tapped in by Baldock at the back post.
The frame of the goal came to the Tigers’ rescue for the second time of the evening on the hour mark, when Baldock’s shot came back off the post, before Foulkes, who was making only his second appearance for the Under-23s, then produced a string of fine saves to keep the scores level.
Powell came close to scoring his second of the night, only to see his header well kept out by McGill, but the pendulum looked to have swung in favour of the hosts 12 minutes from time when Lewis Ritson saw red for a second bookable offence. And from the resulting free-kick, Brighton were denied by the crossbar once again as Ahannach came close to finding the back of the net with a sweetly-struck curling effort.
However, despite their numerical disadvantage, the ten-man Tigers went in search of a winner on the counter-attack two minutes later, and it was Lewis-Potter who delivered the match-winning moment.
The youngster, who had moved into a lone forward role following Ritson’s dismissal, saw his initial header from James Yates’ superb right-wing cross well-saved by McGill, but showed great reactions to poke home the rebound.
Brighton pressed as they went in search of a third equaliser, but failed to seriously test Foulkes again as the Tigers held on for the win.
Brighton: McGill; Mateju, Moore, Kerr, Cox; Alzate (Tilley 82), Molumby, Sanders, Ahannach; Connolly, Baldock (Hutchinson 60).
Subs Not Used: Collings, Collar, J.Davies.
Subs Not Used: Collings, Collar, J.Davies.
Hull City: Foulkes, Yates, Fleming, McKenzie, Ritson, Curry, Lewis-Potter, Chadwick (Barkworth 46), Powell (Sheaf 80), Hinchliffe, Hamilton.
Subs Not Used: Croudson, Thacker, Edwards
Subs Not Used: Croudson, Thacker, Edwards
source: hullcitytigers.com
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