June 2025. Escaping relegation down into L1 by the skin of our teeth thanks to an away goal at Portsmouth by Matt Crooks and just 26 days after Ruben Selles was given his P45 joining Tim Walter in the "Sacked file", Hull City announced the new head coach. Some fella from Bosnia, the old Yugoslavia called Sergej Jakirović.

I'm not sure how Acun expected the fans to react but from where I was stood it was a unified "WHO? NOT AGAIN? Because we were now on our 3rd manager who had never managed in England before and a case of once bitten, twice shy, let alone a third time which was heard by Ilicali an in true form, always one to make himself available to the fans in public when needed, explained yet again the reasons and the need to get behind our new gaffer and so calmed the nerves and Memberships grew based on the promise of a new and hopeful dawn.

Soon after the appointment, Hull City experienced an "Accounting Error" which ultimately resulted in the EFL imposing a season long, fee paying transfer and loan embargo. The first hurdle for Sergej to get over and any promises and desires made about signings went straight out the window.

Thankfully, we had some behind the scenes experts on the case, namely Martin Hodge our new scout and former Stoke City analyst, American, Jared Dublin our Sporting Director who went into overdrive and cherry picked players, not just locally but from all over the world and one target in particular, Oli McBurnie who was prised from the sunny beaches of Gran Canaria with a promise from him bagging 15 goals in exchange for playing in East Yorkshire. A signing we would go on to thank the stars for.

Sergej set about his work in practical silence, no noise, no bragging, boasting, the pass back keep ball was to be a thing of the past and the dressing room boosted with Captain Coyle rallying his troops in a pro positive, can do attitude. He applied honest no nonsense blue sky thinking along with a good management of limited availability with 35 players used for the whole of the 25/26 campaign which started off pretty much as the Walter / Selles one ended. First 7 games where hit and miss dropping to 20th after 5 games, up to 18th and then a sustained top 8 place since October with 5th place being our most occupied position throughout most of the season.

The 25/26 season kicked off away at the Coventry Building Society Arena at 12:30 lining up against the Sky Blues, neither side could stain the sheets and it ended up what was to be, a very respectable 0-0 with the eventual champions. By 3pm we were in 14th Place. Our fortunes improved a week later when we fumbled our way past Oxford with a hard fought 3-2 home win with the help of Oli McBurnie's first goal of many but 3rd and decisive goal for City on a match winning 93rd minute.

As for Jakirović, the jury was still out but the following 3 games didn't help anyone and by the fifth game in, we had just one win and sat in 20th place with the fans less than impressed and many calling for yet another sacking, citing we should have never have gotten shut of Rosenior. Thankfully, the next game. at home in front of 22,000 fans the tide was about to turn when Joseph opened the scoring against the Saints and whether they had spies on us or not, they could stop Oli bagging his second final goal of the game for City as we went down the tunnel 3-1 winners and propelled up the table to 13th.

Winning had started to become a bit of a habit through September, October and November having won 5 in 8 games and only losing once to Watford away. But it was the table that did the talking and found ourselves in 7th and snapping at the heels of the play off zone but then went on a dip of losing 4 games in 6 including a 4-1 humiliation at home by Boro and only Gelhardt able to respond on 62 minutes. The Jakirović roller coaster continued. Endless peaks and troughs, from hero to zero and back again but regardless we climbed from 7th to 4th and then 3rd across the beginning of the new year as McBurnie established himself as a resident goal scorer thanks to some great assist plays by our busy and confident midfield.

Whatever Jakirović was doing in Cottingham it was working. The back pass football became counter play, the indecision became near surgical and the confidence levels were tangible as we settle in our most popular position of 5th by the end of February remaining there for 8 straight games despite some banana skin games and all of a sudden Sergej grew a halo and took on the apparition of the chosen one. Acun started off with a 5 year plan. By the end of the 24/25 season we had hit the skids and wondered were we were going next but all of a sudden, a black cloud grew a silver shadow with 5 games to go and clinging on to 5th spot, then dropping to 6th and then sickeningly 7th with two games left.

25th April. Charlton away. The Valley. 1-0 down after 20 minutes no thanks to a strike by Charlie Kelman despite City domination and then up pops John Egan for an incredibly late first half equaliser on 45+7 for us to go into the break at 1-1. But it wasn't to be. Without a win in six games, The Addicks Fevrier nailed out coffin lid shut on 68 and we went packing back to East Yorkshire 2-1 to the deficit. The footballing gods had other ideas and thanks to other games that went our way, it was goal difference that paid the entrance fee back into 6th position and a place in the play offs.

One game to go but Wrexham, who we had done the double over could pip us to the post if they did better than us on the day. Only a win for us would do. Nothing else. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. This man came in the shape of a ginger bearded Scottish warrior waving his sporran and claymore at every canary that came near him opening up the Norwich defence at home in front of 24,600 fully charged fans, all now totally in love with Sergej who watched with total unadulterated joy as Oli walloped in a goal in each half to make the final result, Hull City 2, Canaries 1 and cementing our play off place because Wrexham couldn't hold onto their lead twice against a determined Boro away at The Racecourse ground.

The following weeks are now of course history. Two dominant play off games against 3rd placed Millwall saw us progress with two clean sheets to the play off final at Wembley thanks to Belloumi and Gelhardt spanking the Lions 2-0 at The Den and predictably Oli McTiger our very own mad flare smoking striker poking in the winner courtesy of loan whippet Yu Hirakawa who burned Ayling on the right and got his cross away.

Prem bound. Job done. Game Plan achieved. Beers downed, Cigars smoked, Party's partied, Sergej respected and accepted, Acun well chuffed and now down to business. 7 weeks and counting. So what's to come? TBC.

UTT.