Dazed Review – Tigers at Southampton

Well after a long long bus ride there we arrived and the talk before the game had been who would replace Ash and Mills in our side due to suspensions, We had signed Jarrett on loan during the week so he stepped in for Ashbee and Coles had returned to fitness so he stepped in for Mills ? after the last result at Southend people were positive we could take something away from here and get at least a point ?

One of Jarrett`s first touches almost cost us as he was dispossessed and we almost conceded as a result ? after that we started to get some type of rhythm going and Jon Parkin had a chance before Fagan was ruled offside as he stuck the ball in the back of the net, we showed we were certainly not afraid of Southampton by any stretch and Dean Marney especially was stepping up in the game and trying hard to create anything he could once we had the ball, the formation was working well with Elliott and Fagan joining Parkin on numerous occasions to try and create a few chances although Southampton were always dangerous on the counter attack so we had to be wary ?

Dean Marney then picked up the ball deep in his own half, skipped past four defenders only for the last man to get a foot to it with a last ditch tackle as he was about to surely score what would have been the goal of the season so far, my thoughts were if he had more confidence he would have shot a little bit earlier but we were beginning to see signs of the Dean Marney that we paid so much for I think ? Parkin went close soon after and if his shot had a bit more power on it then it would not have been cleared off the line so easily by the impressive Gareth Bale ?

Southampton then started to take control and as the half drew to a close they had a few good chances to take the lead but our defense stood firm with Jarrett getting in on the act with the back four being very solid when needed ?

Half Time – Southampton 0 – 0 Hull City

The Second half started pretty much the way the first one had finished with Southampton putting us under a lot of pressure early on although we went close with a couple of attempts with Parkin and especially Fagan having opportunities to put us ahead ? Dawson was the first person to be booked as Southampton carried on creating a number of chances ? to be fair the second half was mostly Southampton`s but our defense restricted them to long range efforts mostly although they hit the post once and also had a good chance saved off the line ?

Our remaining chances fell to Marney who had a free kick miss narrowly and Elliott also had a chance when maybe he should have squared it to Parkin in stead, Welsh came on for the tired Marney who had ran his socks off all game and we started to look like we were settling for a point, as the final minutes came they threw everything they could at us but again our defense, with Coles in particular looking good, remained steady and did not look too nervous which we had done in previous games ?

All in all a Point well gained and we move above Leeds which just adds to the satisfaction of the day ?

Full Time – Southampton 0 – 0 Hull City




Anyway Player Ratings



Myhill – 7? Crucial saves at the right times, even threw it out once!!!



Dawson – 7? Looked a lot better than he has done of late, less worrying about going forward due to the system we were playing, once concentrating on his defensive duties it showed ? I wonder if he will play next week though with Mills returning ?



Turner – 7? Solid at the back and very little got past him, was good to see him put this type of performance ?



Coles – 8?A good return from injury especially after the last game away at Preston was certainly not his best by a long way!



Ricketts – 7? Solid throughout but seeing his performances on the left back you may wonder with Mills back will he be our first choice left back ?



Elliott – 7? Good solid attacking performance won everything in the air and looked like he is looking good once again!



Marney – 8? Great performance from Dean, if only he scored “that” goal that he could have ? very promising!



Jarrett – 8? Good debut from the lad, looked like he was on the pitch for one reason and he did that more than well in my opinion!



Delaney – 6? Must have got a nosebleed in the first half going in the box chasing down a ball but did well over all I must admit ? Well Played Delaney ?



Fagan – 7? Had a tougher task against the welsh international left back but coped well and got behind him a few times ? can never fault the lads effort that`s for sure!



Parkin – 6? Good chance missed in the first half but generally led the line quite well ? tired towards the end again though ?



Subs



Welsh – 6 ? Brought on to freshen up the midfield when we were struggling ? did ok in my opinion ?

Top Tiger? I think Dean Marney personally, his best game in a city shirt for me this season I think ?



Tigers Tail? Difficult as it`s not down to him playing badly but I think Parkin did look overly tired towards the end of the game ?



Parky`s Performance – 7/10? I think we can all now see the formation that will work including Parky ? he changed only when needed and looked very animated on the touchline, seems to be working well with Brown so far!



Ref Watch – 6/10? Not bad over all I think ? tried to stay away from the cards which is nice to see ?



Crowd Watch – 8/10? Cracking away following again and we made sure the lads knew we were there and kept vocal throughout ?



where to from here ?? Well its Wolves at home and if we are to maintain any consistency we have to look to beating these teams at home now ? our away form seems to have stepped up a notch so let`s try and get our home form getting us a few more points! Mills will be back which will leave a nice predicament for us in the defense ?