Tigers Leave it Late in Thriller Hull City v.s. Morecambe FC By Gareth Marshall

The magic of the Cup seemed to desert the good people of Hull this weekend, as the advent of the FA Cup 1st round attracted a little over 10,000 fans to the KC on Saturday. With tiny Histon already chalking up the afternoon's first giant-killing feat by beating Division 3 side Shrewsbury (yes, it's Division 3 - Coca-Cola League 2 my arse..) in an early kick-off, the onus was on Peter Taylor's side to avoid becoming the latest in a long line of cup shock victims.

Whilst a home tie against non-League opposition should on paper, have been a stroll in the park for high-flying City, Tigers will have been aware that they were in for a hard afternoon's graft. And if they weren't, they received a stark wake-up call after just 12 minutes, when Morecambe captain Jim Bentley stole in at the far post - with an ease that will probably cause Taylor a sleepless night or two - to nod in the visitors' first corner of the game. Game on.

With City playing like a side that seemed likely to extend a miserable recent FA Cup history (thumping first round exits in 2002 and 2003) Morecambe were posed few problems as their well-organised side consolidated their lead. Jim Harvey's side are no strangers to cup success, having reached the third round twice in the last 3 seasons, claiming League scalps each time before scaring the life out of Ipswich, and they were certainly not over-awed by their surroundings.

It took something special to haul Hull level, and that something duly arrived on the half-hour mark as Stuart Green, easily City's best player on the day, took a pass from the underwhelming Barmby on the right flank before cutting inside and bending a left foot shot inside the far post from 25-yards. If anyone thought the floodgates would open after Green's leveller, then they were very much mistaken. Morecambe held firm, and the Tigers continued to look devoid of ideas. With the home fans becoming increasingly impatient, the half-time whistle blew, giving Taylor the chance to work out how to break down the stubborn Shrimpers during the break.

If he did come up with some new ideas, then they certainly didn't work. Hull still looked sluggish at the start of the second half, and Morecambe keeper Sollitt was enjoying a fairly trouble free afternoon. The writing seemed to be on the wall for the home side, and the fans began to face up to possibly being the biggest casualty of the round, when a slick move sent Morecambe forward Michael Twiss through on goal before coolly nutmegging the onrushing Bo Myhill to put the non-Leaguers 2-1 up on the hour.

A great finish from one of the Conference's top players prompted Taylor into making changes, as the utterly ineffectual Danny Allsopp - who for all the crowd's encouragement looked totally lacking in confidence - and Marc Joseph were hauled off, to be replaced by Ryan France and Jon Walters.

The changes paid off almost immediately as City quickly forced a corner, which for once, the Shrimpers made a total hash of dealing with. Walters found himself in space in the area and laid the ball off for Michael Keane, who justified his inclusion ahead of Junior Lewis by capping off a competent display with a cracking finish into the top corner. Still Morecambe didn't buckle under the home side's pressure though, and the Shrimpers looked set to hang on for a draw, and a replay on the Lancashire coast that City certainly wouldn't have fancied. However, Hull got the win they scarcely deserved when, with just 4 minutes left, Walters - without a goal to his name so far this season - popped up to slot home the winner.

Following good work on the edge of the box from France and Northern Ireland international Elliott, who provided the killer pass which, the former Bolton striker kept his head and placed the ball beyond Sollitt. City's path into the second round wasn't secured quite yet though, as Morecambe could, and perhaps should, have grabbed an injury time equaliser of their own, but Carlton fluffed his header from inside the six-yard box, and with Myhill scrambling to his right, the visiting fans watched in agony as it drifted just past the post. City's reward for scraping through this game is another home tie - against either non-League Alfreton or Division 3 side Macclesfield - in the second round. Final score 3 - 2 Hull City

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