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For the second successive weekend, it was more champagne on the pitch for Hull City as Grant McCann and his players secured their first league title since 1966 following their 3-1 win over Wigan Athletic.
Goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, George Honeyman and Josh Magennis secured the Tigers’ win and with second-placed Peterborough only able to draw with Lincoln City, the champagne was taken off-ice and onto the pitch at the final whistle to celebrate City’s ultimate objective of the season.
Top goalscorer Mallik Wilks put on a Man of the Match performance with a hand in all three of Hull’s goals. With Lewis-Potter also keeping up his excellent run of form, it was he who opened the scoring on 17 minutes.
As Lewie Coyle manoeuvred enough room for a cross towards the back post, the 20-year-old got away from his marker all too easily as he stooped to head home his 14th goal of a highly successful campaign.
Not even an immediate leveller from Joe Dodoo on 19 minutes could dampen City’s determination to get their side of the bargain completed on the day.
George Honeyman, who missed out on the League One Player of the Season award during the week, showed exactly why he has been held in such high regard as he restored the home side’s lead in a frenetic five-minute period.
Starting the move on halfway line, the midfielder got Wilks away down the Hull left and as the striker held the ball up as he got into the box, he had the presence of mind to backheel the ball into the racing Honeyman’s path, and the midfield talisman did the rest with an emphatic finish from 10 yards.
The goal perfectly encapsulated what Honeyman has been about all season long: all-action.
With a crowd of home fans gathering just after kick-off, the cheers could be heard inside the stadium when news filtered through of City’s goal and developments in Peterborough. As Lincoln’s lead increased at the Weston Homes Stadium, so did the numbers and noise outside on a fairly wet afternoon in Humberside.
The chants of ‘Championes’ grew louder as Josh Magennis deftly nodded home the hosts’ third goal of the afternoon on 66 minutes. As the impressive Regan Slater floated a cross to the back post, Wilks nodded the ball across goal for Magennis to guide his header past Jamie Jones from six yards.
Magennis’ 18th goal and subsequently, Hull’s 80th of the campaign was the icing on the cake of a very satisfying season but the jubilation wasn’t just limited to the newly crowned champions.
As referee Bobby Madley concluded matters on the final whistle, Wigan’s players and management staff celebrated on the pitch with their counterparts at the death as the Latics secured their League One status drawing to a close an extremely challenging chapter in the club’s history.
Speaking in his post-match interview, an emotional Leam Richardson couldn’t hide his delight in Wigan’s achievement.
“You’re very aware of what it means to the fans. It’s all for the fans. We know with all the support we’ve had, whether that be social media, donations, in the most trying times in football and you quickly become aware of it all.
“This achievement, and I’ve been fortunate to win many things in football, but this is up there with the best of them.
“You’ve got to make people proud. No matter what trying time it is, once you enter that field of play, you’ve got to give everything.
“As Wigan fans and people, you’ve got to believe. We always believe. Up The Tics!”
It’s never easy for a club of Hull’s stature to bounce back up at the first time of asking and it’s a feat that shouldn’t be underestimated. As McCann celebrated with his family in the stands and took his boys out with the rest of the squad to greet the adoring fans, there stood a man that had come full circle from being one of the most unpopular men in the city under a year ago to now one of the most revered.
“It’s incredible, it’s intense. We’ve had to take the rough with the smooth, we’ve had to take bumps in the road on the way, we’ve had to react to difficult defeats particularly those at home – and take the hits.
“This group have shown a real determination, fight and character to respond. Every single one of them, they need to enjoy this.
“It doesn’t happen very often, there’s 23 other teams that would give their left arm for that and we’ve done it today.
“Its 55 years since this football club won a title and today these boys have written themselves into the history books, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
For a club that has enjoyed life in the Premier League and promotions from the second tier in the new millennium, there will still however be a weight of expectation that McCann can restore the Tigers to those former glories.
Whilst there is definitely a sense of redemption in securing Championship status, the hard work has only just begun and McCann had a message for Tigers fans.
“You’ve got a team of players here who are willing to give everything for you.
“The togetherness in this group is phenomenal, and we’ll hopefully try and keep this group together, as much as we can.
“The owners are very, very clear that no ones for sale and we want to try and add to the group and make us stronger for next season.
That work will start next week. Now we’ve got over the line today, we’re already working on one or two things that could happen. Hopefully sooner rather than later.”
The Northern Irishman could only have concentrated on the task at hand this season and having adopted a more philosophical approach to matters both on and off the pitch, City will have a better-prepared manager for next time around.
It’s one step at a time and McCann should rightly savour every moment of the jubilation that will come his way in the next few weeks. It’s been well deserved.
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