Club Guide
Team: Hull City FC |
Stadium and Pitch: 9/10
Relegation from the Premier League was a bitter pill to swallow and visits to Old Trafford, Anfield and City of Manchester Stadium which I enjoyed last season wasn't going to be a reunion this term unless a meeting in the cups occurs.
However following the Blades demise in the top flight I was eager to return to the KC Stadium, which without a shadow of a doubt must be the best ground outside the Premiership (except Bramall Lane of course).
With a capacity of 25,500 the ground does look small on the inside but it certainly is a neat little ground with the potential of expanding. Away fans were housed behind sticks in the North Stand. To the left was a similar one tiered stand as was across goal; to the right however was a quirky two tiered stand which I'm sure displays an excellent view from top deck.
The facilities were great too, my previous visit (2005-06) was the season the Blades won promotion to the Premiership and I don't recall their being a bookies present; but this time was different! Betting aside the pies were great too and although this ground is somewhat away from the old Bootherry Park Ground it is a great stadium and one I would enjoy visiting time and time again.
Programme: 8/10
Priced at £3.00 'The Tigers' match day magazine was a good buy, not the best programme I have ever read but certainly wasn't the worst.
With 80 pages the programme was packed full of information on Hull City with no more than eleven pages dedicated to the Red and White Wizards which included an interview with club captain Chris Morgan as well as a short report on the last time the Blades visited the KC Stadium.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the programme was called 'An Unforgettable Journey' which spanned three pages and gave an insight into the 1983/84 season where Sheffield United and Hull City went neck to neck for promotion from Division Four (now League Two).
In the end the Blades piped their rivals to last promotion spot (along with Oxford United and Wimbledon) by virtue of most goals scored. For older supporters of both clubs this was a great feature to read - I myself am not old enough to remember this event (I was still in nappies!) but still enjoyed reading it all the same.
Performance and Result: 7/10
:: Hull City 1-1 Sheffield United ::
Sheffield United took the lead in this game during the first half; Jonathan Stead (35 minutes) racing through to slip the ball under keeper Boaz Myhill before old boy Dean Windass converted a penalty to draw the game level.
It was an exciting game and one which I feel the Blades should have gone away with all three points, but wasn't to be. Referee Lee Mason had a stinker, he was correct in awarding the penalty which the Tigers equalised from but, the match official should have rewarded United with a free-kick five seconds earlier which would have prevented a spot kick taking place.
Atmosphere: 7/10
Fans situated in the West Stand near the away end were in full vocal and went berserk when they levelled the score; however the rest of the ground was pretty quite but was still a good atmosphere in this game. The only draw back was when the announcer suggested that this fixture was a local Yorkshire derby - Hull reside in Humberside!
Overall: 31/40
:: Previous Visits to KC Stadium ::
- 03.01.2006 - Hull City 1-3 Sheffield United
- 27.10.2007 - Hull City 1-1 Sheffield United