Hull City Aiming for Premier League Glory
Sergej Jakirovic laughs when he thinks about it now. Two wins from the Premier League? Back in August, with a transfer embargo biting and expectations scraping the floor, he says anyone suggesting this Hull City storyline would have been “crazy”.
Yet here they are. Living it.
On Monday night at The Den, Hull walk into Millwall’s cauldron for the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final. A third straight victory in that hostile corner of south London would be enough to drag them to Wembley on 23 May, after Friday’s tense goalless draw at the MKM Stadium left the tie perfectly poised.
“This is the dream, especially when we started with the [transfer] embargo and everything,” Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside. “It’s been an amazing season for us. We are two games from the Premier League and we will do everything we can to get there.
“I’d say you were crazy if you offered me this at the start of the season, nobody would have bet on this scenario. I am very proud. You cannot take anything away from the players this season – but the job is not finished yet.”
Fatigue, fine margins and fixing the details
The first leg took a toll. Hull ran, chased and fought, but never quite found the clarity in the final third. The effort was obvious; the execution, at times, less so.
“We gave everything [on Friday],” Jakirovic admitted. “We could play better, in some situations make better decisions.”
The response has been typically forensic. The Hull squad have been back in the analysis room, watching clips, rewinding key moments, drilling down into the details that decide play-off ties.
“We have shown some video clips of what we need to improve, where we need to handle some situations, especially when [Barry] Bannan comes,” he explained. “I hope we will fix these things and have an even better performance in terms of in possession.”
The challenge is to do all that with a squad running close to empty. No fresh injuries, but bodies creaking, legs heavy, decisions a fraction slower than they were in midwinter.
“We have some positions we are short – no injuries, there is fatigue. A lot of players have come back from injuries and now must give everything,” Jakirovic said. Darko Gyabi is a doubt for the trip to south London, another complication in a tie already balanced on a knife edge.
“We are trying to find the best of what we have right now. It’s very important who might come on after 60 or 70 minutes as you might need them to play 120.
“We will 100% have some chances, we have to use them.”
That last line hangs in the air. Hull have built their season on brave, front-foot football. On Monday, they cannot afford to blink.
Keeping cool in the heat of The Den
If the legs are tired, the head must be ice cold. The Den on a play-off night is unforgiving, a place where noise swallows thought and pressure chews up the careless.
Jakirovic knows he cannot add to the chaos. The 49-year-old missed the final-day clash with Norwich because of a touchline ban; he has no intention of watching another decisive fixture from the stands.
“It’s very important to keep our heads, including me and my staff. I have had experience this season,” the Bosnian said. “My target for now is I must stay calm, no matter what happens on the pitch, stay focused and try to help the team and staff.”
His reference point is Turkey, where he has already walked into some of the loudest arenas in European football.
“We have amazing experience. In Turkey, when you go to Galatasaray, Fenerbahce or Besiktas, you can’t hear anything – not even the referee’s whistle.
“We must remember, it is 11 v 11 – those in the stands cannot play.”
That message will echo through the Hull dressing room before kick-off. Block out the noise. Trust the work. Trust each other.
A shadow over the other semi-final
While Hull and Millwall scrap for their place under the arch, the other side of the draw has been dragged into controversy.
Southampton or Middlesbrough will await the winner in the Wembley final, but their own semi-final has been overshadowed by allegations that Saints spied on a Boro training session before Saturday’s goalless first leg. The EFL has charged Southampton, and the fallout has rippled across the division.
“It’s not good. I completely understand Kim,” Jakirovic said, referring to Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg. “I saw [Hellberg and Saints boss Tonda Eckert] shake hands. It was very cold.
“It’s not fair play. It’s not good for the image of the league. You are in the headlines in every country. I completely understand Middlesbrough and their coach.”
He likened the reports to something from a James Bond film, the kind of cloak-and-dagger subplot nobody needs at this stage of the season. As for what should happen next, he did not pretend to have the answer.
“It’s a big call, a big decision. I don’t know the rules.”
Others will wrestle with that. Jakirovic has enough on his plate.
His task is simpler, and far more brutal: manage a tired squad, master a hostile stadium, and find two more wins that would complete one of the Championship’s unlikeliest climbs.
Crazy? That was the word in August.
On Monday night at The Den, it just sounds like the next step.
