Sergej Jakirovic described guiding Hull City to the Sky Bet Championship play-off final as ‘maybe the best thing that happened in football in my life’ and said leading the Tigers out at Wembley will be ‘a dream come true’.
After a goalless first leg at the MKM Stadium on May 8, Hull secured a 2-0 victory at Millwall’s The Den to win the tie 2-0 on aggregate. Mohamed Belloumi opened the scoring and Joe Gelhardt added a second to seal the place at Wembley.
Hull will meet either Southampton or Middlesbrough in the final on Saturday 23 May, live on Sky Sports Football, with a place in the Premier League at stake.
The result caps a remarkable turnaround for a club that avoided relegation on goal difference just over a year ago and has operated under a transfer embargo for the past two windows. Jakirovic said the adversity helped forge unity.
‘Since day one, they have been a very nice group. Togetherness is very high. This embargo maybe even stuck us together even more,’ he told Sky Sports Football. ‘Also, (there is) chemistry between the players. Nobody is angry when he doesn’t play so he must be ready.’
Jakirovic admitted his original target for the season had been modest — ‘top 10’ — and he had early worries about how the side would perform. But the team improved game after game and earned their Wembley reward.
‘I was thinking, “OK top 10 is our target”, but when we started the season I was, in the first months, a little bit worried how we would look, but every game we were better and better, so this is great award for them to go to Wembley,’ he said. ‘I never been to Wembley so this is also my dream come true.’
The 49-year-old reflected on his coaching career, noting previous domestic success with Zrinjski Mostar and Dinamo Zagreb but stressing that, given the season’s challenges — injuries and the embargo — this achievement stands out.
‘I had great success until now as a coach; won the championship [with Zrinjski Mostar and Dinamo Zagreb] and everything, but with the problems we had through all the season, with a lot of injuries, with this embargo this is maybe the best thing that happened in football in my life,’ Jakirovic said. ‘It’s a great feeling, an amazing feeling. We were fantastic today.’
Captain Lewie Coyle echoed the sense of belief and pride in the dressing room. ‘Incredible. It’s something we all believed we could do when we finalised that play-off spot on the last day in such dramatic fashion. We said why shouldn’t it be us?’ he told Sky Sports Football.
Coyle praised the team’s professionalism: ‘We’ve grafted all year to put ourselves in this position… We fully believed going into the two legs against a very good Millwall side that we could come out on top. The game at home was a little bit cagey and then we’ve come here today and what a fantastic performance from the lads. So professional and just everything I know this team is about.’
Former international Andy Hinchcliffe, commenting for Sky Sports, said Hull’s style and individual match-winners made them dangerous opponents. ‘A lot of observers would have thought, it’s Millwall at home, it’s obvious they are going to win and get to Wembley,’ he said. ‘But with the way Hull play, it’s not about dominating the ball, it’s about individuals who can change the course of matches.’
Hinchcliffe added that Hull controlled the midfield, benefitted from decisive substitutes and thoroughly deserved their Wembley berth. ‘Southampton and Middlesbrough will do their homework on Hull, but you’ve got to be so wary of them. They have shown all season, if you underestimate them or don’t plan for the way they play, you will come unstuck.’
As the Tigers prepare for the final, the club and its supporters will hope the underdog story continues and that Jakirovic’s ‘dream come true’ turns into promotion to the Premier League.