Hull City Soccer, Update I: The Agony Continues

As of February 24, 2009, Hull City is only six points ahead of the dreaded "drop."

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This is the header that did in Hull City in the Spurs game.

ESPN The Magazine senior writer Jeff Bradley is following the remarkable tale of Hull City's soccer club. His first, feature-length post on the topic can be found here. This is the first update since that post.

The agony continues for my Tigers.

Playing a rare game of Monday Night Football at the KC, Hull City lost another heartbreaker, this one a 2-1 decision to Spurs, making it nine straight Premier League games for the Tigers since their last victory. Hull City sit on 29 points, in 13th place, and six points ahead of the drop. A dozen games remain on the schedule, and it's nail-biting time.

I watched on my laptop (via this website) as Spurs took a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute on a goal by Aaron Lennon. The Tigers battled back to equalize 10 minutes later when Michael Turner scored from close range. The rest of the half, Hull City turned up the heat but could not take the lead.

Late in the second half, Spurs hit the crossbar and then Hull City hit the post as the action went end to end and manager Phil Brown gyrated with each chance. Spurs connected for a winner with a mere five minutes remaining, Jonathan Woodgate getting on the end of a cross and nodding home a precise header. The Tigers threw everything they had forward in the remaining minutes as my internet feed came in and out…excruciating.

Not much time for us City supporters to lick our wounds either as the Tigers host Sheffield United in a fifth-round FA Cup replay Thursday. Much as I'd love for the Tigers to advance to the Final 16 of the Cup, clearly the priority is to lock up our spot in the EPL. Sunday it's Blackburn Rovers at home, and we badly need three points.

See ya then.

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