Hull City Week in Review, Monday 2nd November: Tigers Fight Back for 2-2 Draw with Ipswich but Winless Run Extends to Seven
It was a huge week at the MKM Stadium as Hull City hosted fellow promoted side Ipswich Town in their final home game before the international break, and the Tigers came away with a hard-fought point in a Halloween thriller, as Yorkshire Post and HullLive both described it (HullLive) (Yorkshire Post) (HullLive). City came from behind to draw 2-2, with Sky Sports reporting a stunning Julio Enciso strike earned the visitors their share of the spoils, though it means the Tigers' winless run has now stretched to seven games (Sky Sports).
The story of the match was very much a game of two halves. Sergej Jakirovic admitted he was surprised at how passive his players were in a poor opening 45 minutes, before a much improved second-half showing turned things around and salvaged a point (Yorkshire Post) (Yorkshire Post) (Yorkshire Post). The Hull City boss detailed a no-nonsense half-time team talk that sparked the response (HullLive), and Yorkshire Post noted it was just a pity City waited so long to show that intensity (Yorkshire Post). HullLive's player ratings picked out Tim Iroegbunam as the shining light on the night (HullLive), a view echoed on BBC Sport where a Hull City fan praised his transformation this season (BBC Sport).
Looking ahead, HullLive were already framing this result as a wake-up call, with the Tigers needing a much quicker start when Arsenal come to town next (HullLive).
In the build-up to the Ipswich game there was plenty of team news and previews to sift through. Charlie Hughes' availability was described as a boost for Hull City as the list of absentees continued to shrink (HullLive), while Jakirovic was said to be facing a tricky selection dilemma for the clash (HullLive). There was also a lighter moment as Jakirovic joked that Ipswich had effectively "stolen" two players from Hull City ahead of the game (HullLive), while also cautioning against overconfidence given Ipswich had beaten the Tigers twice before, according to Yorkshire Post (Yorkshire Post). Various outlets carried predicted lineups and team news in the days before kick-off (Sports Mole) (Sports Mole) (Sports Mole) (Sports Mole) (Sports Mole), along with previews looking at the head-to-head record between the two promoted clubs (Sports Mole).
Oli McBurnie was a notable figure in the build-up, with Yorkshire Post suggesting his season shows why Tigers fans must not stop believing (Yorkshire Post), while HullLive reported on his comments about a lack of chances this season and the need to make home comforts count (HullLive). McBurnie also made what was described as a referee confession, calling for more fairness in decisions going forward (HullLive).
On the coaching front, HullLive reported Hull City have been handed a boost with a trio set for Premier League reward (HullLive), while Jakirovic was also said to be demanding fitness improvements from the club's summer signings (HullLive).
Away from first-team matters, TeamTalk ran an exclusive claiming Barcelona are interested in a Hull City "sensation" amid reports of exploding transfer interest - as with all such speculation, this should be treated as a report rather than confirmed fact at this stage (TeamTalk). Sky Sports also continued to carry live transfer news and rumours involving the club (Sky Sports).
Elsewhere in the city, Hull FC's rugby league side have been busy in the market too, confirming prop Max Wood's loan terms as their ninth new signing of the close season (HullLive), while also reportedly emerging as frontrunners ahead of rivals Hull KR for an in-demand NRL prop (HullLive).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
