Wolves 1 Hull 0: Hull must wait after they sink to defeat at Wolves

A shock defeat for the Tigers against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers last night means the promotion party that the East Riding was hoping to host on Friday – when Bristol City are the visitors to the KC Stadium – is now on hold.

However, after another crazy evening in the Championship that saw third-placed Watford also crash to a surprise loss against a team at the wrong end of the table, Hull may not have too long to wait before their celebrations can get under way.

Certainly, a six-point advantage – or five, if the Hornets’ vastly superior goal difference is taken into account – with three games remaining is the sort of margin Hull manager Steve Bruce would have gladly taken had it been offered back in January.

No wonder, therefore, that his expression did not betray the fury he would have been entitled to feel at the final whistle considering the part his side had played in their own downfall.

Kevin Doyle’s second-half winner may have been an ice-cool finish, but it only came after Ahmed Fathi had been inexplicably caught in possession deep in the Hull half.

That Fathi’s blunder was one of several committed by the strangely out of sorts Tigers only added to the sense of frustration felt by the visiting contingent as the majority of the 19,641 crowd celebrated the acquisition of three points that could prove crucial in their fight to stay in the Championship.

Hull, of course, are hoping to exit the second tier by the glamour route of the Premier League and victory over Sean O’Driscoll’s Robins – relegated by last night’s defeat at home to Birmingham City – would leave Watford having to beat Blackburn Rovers the following afternoon to keep the race alive.

Bruce will be hoping his men can improve on the disappointing Molineux display that again saw the free-flowing football that characterised much of Hull’s play during the first half of the season conspicuous by its absence.

Instead, the visitors threatened only briefly in attack even during a first half in which a home side badly lacking in confidence seemed there for the taking.

With Wolves looking crushed by last Saturday’s defeat to Huddersfield Town, the upshot of Hull’s neat, if laboured, efforts was a first half short on chances.

The best of those came nine minutes before the break when Fathi, making his first start for the club following his January move from Egyptian club Al-Ahly, and George Boyd combined neatly to find Stephen Quinn.

After steadying himself on the edge of the area, the former Sheffield United midfielder then fired a shot that flew inches wide after taking a deflection off Stephen Ward.

At the other end, Tongo Doumbia shot wide from a promising position with Wanderers’ most promising opening to ensure the first half ended goalless.

Ten minutes of the second half had elapsed when the game’s defining moment came, as Fathi was inexplicably caught in possession by Doumbia.

He found Bjorn Sigurdarson who, in turn, released Doyle and the Republic of Ireland striker produced a cool finish to beat David Stockdale and put the hosts ahead.

Hull’s night could have taken another turn for the worse midway through the second half and, once again, the damage was self-inflicted.

This time, a mix-up by Jay Simpson and David Meyler gifted possession to Wolves in midfield.

Doumbia, after subsequently being picked out unmarked 10 yards from goal by Stephen Ward, should have been the beneficiary only to drill his shot narrowly wide of Stockdale’s goal.

It was a major let-off and one that Hull battled hard to capitalise on as Bruce sacrificed a defender in Abdoulaye Faye to send on last season’s top scorer Matty Fryatt.

Moments later, Simpson went within a whisker of equalising after firing against a post having been released by a deft pass from Robbie Brady. The substitute was unfortunate in that instance, though the same could not be said about the earlier attempted volley from Ahmed Elmohamady’s cross that turned into a fresh air shot.

Brady shooting wildly over with the follow-up only added to the sense of frustration felt at such a gilt-edged chance going begging.

A late cross from Elmohamady was then just begging for one of the Egyptian’s team-mates to throw themselves at the ball as it fizzed across the six-yard box before running out of play.

As close as Hull went on those two occasions, however, they were also fortunate not to concede a second goal when more blundering in defence presented Stephen Hunt with a chance he really should have taken.

Instead, the one-time Tiger could only fire straight at Stockdale’s legs. The hope among the visitors was that it still could be their night. In the end, it was – though only thanks to events elsewhere as Millwall’s late winner against Watford meant the advantage still lies very much with Hull as the race for promotion enters the final straight.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers: De Vries; Doherty, Johnson, Robinson, Gorkss; Hunt, Henry, Doumbia, Ward (Foley 78); Sigurdarson (Batth 89), Doyle. Unused substitutes: Hammill, Dicko, Cassidy, McCarey, McAlinden.

Hull City: Stockdale; Chester, Faye (Fryatt 74), Hobbs; Elmohamady, Meyler, Fathi (Proschwitz 89), Quinn, Brady; Koren (Simpson 27), Boyd. Unused substitutes: Jakupovic, Rosenior, Cairney, McShane.

Referee: D Coote (Nottinghamshire).

Results and tables: Page 22.