McBurnie sends Hull into Premier League dreamland!

By Hugo Varley

Hull City won promotion to the Premier League in the most dramatic of ways, as Ollie McBurnie smashed home an injury time winner under the Wembley Arch to send the Tigers back to the top flight after nine years away.

The game looked destined for extra-time as both sides huffed and puffed through eight minutes of injury time in the sapping summer heat. However, in one final roll of the dice, substitute Yu Hirakawa broke on the right flank for City, sending in a driven cross which was flapped at by Middlesbrough keeper Sol Brynn.

Suddenly, the ball fell at the feet of McBurnie, who simply couldn’t miss.

It capped a truly remarkable 12-month transformation for Hull, who last season only survived relegation by the skin of their teeth, staying up on goal difference on the final day.

After a week where the “Spygate” drama made headlines across the world, the Tigers and Boro descended on the capital for probably the most eagerly anticipated Championship play-off final ever.

While the atmosphere at a packed out Wembley was electric, it took time for both sides to find their rhythm.

In truth, it wasn’t until just before half-time that the game began to open up.

First, Middlesbrough striker David Strelec found space on the edge of the box, only to see his shot inadvertently blocked by team-mate Morgan Whittaker.

Moments later McBurnie came agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock, latching onto a looped Liam Miller cross, only for his powered header to crash off the bar.

Boro came flying out of the blocks at the start of the second half, with captain Dael Fry angling an effort just over the bar after connecting with a whipped corner, before the heat slowed proceedings again.

With half an hour left Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg played his trump card. Ruled out with a groin injury since mid-March, Championship Player of the Year Hayden Hackney made his long awaited return off the bench.

As the 23-year-old started pulling the strings in midfield, Boro looked more threatening but still couldn’t piece together a clear cut opportunity.

Instead, it was Hull who looked most dangerous on the break, with Joe Gelhardt swivelling and shooting just wide inside the last 10 minutes.  

The final moments of injury time heralded both sides making last gasp efforts to snatch it. Whittaker blazed a shot over for Boro, before Hull grabbed their chance in the sweetest of ways.

McBurnie’s last gasp winner ultimately summed up the sheer beauty of the play-offs, with both supporters on the precipice of ecstasy and heartbreak for the 95 minutes that preceeded the 29-year-old’s goal.

Just like his club, this season has also been something of a redemption story for McBurnie, who tasted relegation last year with Canary Islands side Las Palmas in the Spanish top-flight, only to bounce back and spearhead Hull’s shock promotion, netting 18 times.

Indeed, it was that all important 18^th goal which will forever live in Scot’s memory, with the pandemonium it sparked in the Hull end ricochetting all the way up the Humber estuary, where the party is now just getting started!