Hull City on the Brink of Premier League Dream
Sergej Jakirovic freely admits it. If you had told him back in August that Hull City would stand two wins from the Premier League, he would have called you “crazy”.
Yet here they are. Living what he calls “the dream”.
On Monday night at The Den, Hull walk into Millwall’s backyard for the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final, knowing a third straight victory in that unforgiving corner of south London would carry them to Wembley on 23 May. Friday’s first leg at the MKM Stadium brought only a stalemate, but it also left everything on a knife edge.
For a club that began the season under a transfer embargo, the view from this height is staggering.
“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 bites as Hull chase history
The job, in fact, gets harder now. The schedule is brutal, the margins thinner than ever, and Jakirovic knows his squad will arrive at The Den stretched.
The 49-year-old admits Hull will “be short” in some areas. Not because of fresh injuries, but because the tank is close to empty for several players who have only recently returned from lay-offs. Darko Gyabi is a doubt, another question mark in a midfield that has already been pushed to its limit.
“We gave everything [on Friday],” Jakirovic said. “We could play better, in some situations make better decisions.
“We have shown some video clips of what we need to improve, where we need to handle some situations, especially when [Barry] Bannan comes. I hope we will fix these things and have an even better performance in terms of in possession.”
That detail matters now. One run not tracked. One loose pass. One moment when Bannan finds space between the lines. The kind of small crack that a play-off tie can slip through.
Jakirovic is realistic. He knows the starting XI alone will not decide this. Legs will go. Nerves will fray. The bench could define the night.
“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.
“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 is the essence of the tie. Hull do not expect to dominate at The Den. But they do expect moments. The season may hinge on whether they are ruthless enough when those moments arrive.
A manager determined to stay calm in the storm
If the players must hold their nerve, so must the man on the touchline.
Jakirovic watched the final day of the regular season, the decisive clash with Norwich, from afar due to a touchline ban. He did not enjoy it. On Monday, he intends to be present in every sense – but not overpowering.
“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.”
The Den will not make that easy. It rarely does. But Jakirovic has known more hostile cauldrons.
“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 line will echo in the dressing room. Strip away the noise, the snarling stands, the pressure of a season’s work hanging in the air, and it becomes what every play-off tie eventually is: a contest between two groups of players, one of whom will hold their nerve longer.
Waiting for the winner are Southampton or Middlesbrough, and with them a different kind of storm.
Spygate shadows the road to Wembley
The other semi-final has already been dragged into controversy. Southampton have been charged by the EFL amid allegations they spied on a Middlesbrough training session before Saturday’s goalless first leg.
From a distance, Jakirovic watched the fallout and felt for Boro head coach Kim Hellberg.
“It’s not good. I completely understand Kim,” he said. “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.”
Jakirovic likened the reports to something out of a James Bond film, a surreal subplot to a season that already feels cinematic for Hull. He stopped short of calling for a specific punishment.
“It’s a big call, a big decision. I don’t know the rules.”
For Hull, that saga remains background noise. Their reality is sharper, more immediate.
Ninety minutes, perhaps 120. A hostile Den. A tired squad held together by belief and adrenaline. A manager who once thought this scenario was “crazy” now trying to stay ice-cold in the heat of it.
Two wins from the Premier League. One more step to Wembley. How often does a club that started under embargo get to say that?
