Hull owner Acun Ilicali has made no secret of the fact he wants his team to be the great entertainers of the Championship. In that case, he won’t have minded what he’s seen this season one jot.
Nor what he viewed from the directors’ box on a dramatic final day of the season. One that had more ups and downs than a barge bobbing on the Humber Estuary.
Only 12 months ago the Tigers survived on the final day of the season on goal difference alone. Today, they were trying to claw their way back into the final play-off spot. It’s never dull in Hull, after all.
Oli McBurnie celebrates as Hull snatch the final play-off spot – they will face Millwall for a place at Wembley
And it was never going to be a straightforward task. Not when Norwich, the division’s second-best team in 2026, were in town. Philippe Clement’s side did not arrive in the north-east with their factor 50 in one hand and bucket and spade in the other.
In fact, it was the Canaries who took a deserved lead through Mohamed Toure’s delightful cushioned volley.
The Tigers, though, rallied. Spurred on by Oli McBurnie, their 29-year-old talisman who delivered a masterclass in leading the line to book their play-off place with a brace.
First, the Scotland international finished coolly from the penalty spot minutes after Toure’s opener.
Then, just as it looked like heartbreak for the side who had spent the best part of the last five months in the playoffs, McBurnie’s brilliant finish on the swivel sent the home support into delirium.
And that goal, McBurnie’s 18th of a brilliant debut season, was enough to seal a playoff semi-final date with Millwall.
