Hull City

2008–09 season
Chairman	Paul Duffen
Manager	Phil Brown
Stadium	KC Stadium
Premier League	17th
FA Cup	Sixth round
League Cup	Second round
Top goalscorer	League:Geovanni (8) All:Geovanni (8)
Highest home attendance	24,945 (vs.Manchester United[1])
Lowest home attendance	24,282 (vs.Wigan Athletic[2])
Average home league attendance	24,816[3]
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2007–08 2009–10 →

The2008–09 season wasHull City's first ever season in theEnglish top flight and, by extension, thePremier League. Home games were played at theKC Stadium,^[4] which has a capacity of 25,404.^[5] On Friday 6 June 2008 Hull City announced they had sold out all 20,500 season tickets.^[6] Hull City's first ever top-flight fixture was a home game againstFulham,^[7] which they won 2–1. City finished the season in 17th place in the table, successfully avoiding relegation by the narrow margin of one point overNewcastle United. In the FA Cup, Hull reached the quarterfinals stage for the first time in 38 years, where they were knocked out byArsenal with a controversialoffside goal.

Updated 24 May 2009.^[8][9][10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  WAL Boaz Myhill 2 DF  ENG Nathan Doyle 3 DF  ENG Andy Dawson 4 MF  ENG Ian Ashbee(captain) 6 DF  ENG Michael Turner 7 FW  ENG Craig Fagan 8 MF  ENG Nick Barmby 9 FW  ENG Dean Windass 10 MF  BRA Geovanni 11 MF  ENG Bryan Hughes 12 GK  ENG Matt Duke 13 MF  ENG Ryan France 14 MF  AUS Richard Garcia 15 DF  FRA Bernard Mendy 16 MF  HUN Péter Halmosi 17 MF  IRL Kevin Kilbane 18 FW  IRL Caleb Folan 19 MF  ENG John Welsh 20 MF  NED George Boateng

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 DF  WAL Sam Ricketts 22 MF  ENG Dean Marney 24 DF  GUI Kamil Zayatte 25 FW  GAB Daniel Cousin 26 GK  TRI Tony Warner 27 FW  ENG Nicky Featherstone 28 FW  ANG Manucho(on loan fromManchester United) 29 DF  ENG Matty Plummer 30 DF  ENG Anthony Gardner 31 MF  ENG Will Atkinson 32 MF  ENG James Bennett 33 MF  ENG Jimmy Bullard 35 DF  SCO Liam Cooper 36 MF  IRL Jamie Devitt 38 DF  ENG Joe Lamplough 39 DF  ENG Steve Gardner 42 FW  ENG Ryan Kendall 43 GK  ENG Tom Woodhead — FW  ENG Michael Bridges

Hull were one of the first Premier League clubs to start pre-season training. Between 4 and 11 July Hull trained inBormio,Italy.^[35]

^[36][37][38]

Hull's Premier League opener was at home to Fulham. Hull started rather poorly and went behind after eight minutes from aSeol Ki-Hyeon header. Hull's comeback came when Geovanni scored from a shot from outside the box, the goal was Hull's first Premier League goal and Geovanni's first as a Hull player. In the second half Hull scored the winner from substituteCaleb Folan's shot when he slotted the ball into the net from Craig Fagan's low cross. Hull won the game putting them joint top of the league.^{[52][53][54][55]} Hull's second game was away againstBlackburn Rovers. The home team scored first whenJason Roberts made it 1–0 in the 39th minute.^[56] Hull came back to get a draw; before half time AustralianRichard Garcia scored with a header from a Craig Fagan cross.^[57]There followed a home game againstWigan which turned out to be a heavy 0–5 defeat.Sam Ricketts turned a corner fromKevin Kilbane in to his own net after 5 minutes to open the scoring.Antonio Valencia scored after 13 minutes and provided the cross forAmr Zaki to stroke home in the second half. Five minutes laterEmile Heskey scored from a poor clearance byWayne Brown. Nine minutes from timeAmr Zaki drove in off the crossbar to inflict the first defeat of the season on Hull.^[2]

An away game at managerlessNewcastle United followed.Nicky Butt's foul onPéter Halmosi resulted in a penalty whichMarlon King converted to open the scoring for City. He slotted home a second goal 10 minutes into the second half. Newcastle tried to get back into the match and aCharles N'Zogbia shot rebounded off the post toXisco who finished to make the score 1–2. As full-time approached,Danny Guthrie was sent off for a foul onCraig Fagan, which broke Fagan's leg. The final score was a 1–2 City victory.^[58]

A home game againstEverton followed in which City took the lead from aDean Marney corner which was headed home byMichael Turner. Early in the second half another Dean Marney corner was turned in byPhil Neville for an own goal. Everton pulled one back when aTim Cahill shot bounced in off the crossbar. They drew level minutes later whenLeon Osman scored from close range to secure a 2–2 draw.^[59]

A trip toArsenal provided a test for the City but they withstood the pressure during the first half. Following the restart the home team were soon in front when aCesc Fàbregas shot found the net after deflecting offPaul McShane.City responded with a 25-yard (23 m) shot byGeovanni quickly followed by aDaniel Cousin header from anAndy Dawson corner. Arsenal'sWilliam Gallas hit the crossbar andBoaz Myhill saved a late shot fromCesc Fàbregas to give the visitors a 1–2 victory.^[60]

A further away game atTottenham Hotspur followed. City raced into the lead with a 30-yard (27 m) free kick byGeovanni after just nine minutes. Tottenham'sGareth Bale andJonathan Woodgate hit the woodwork, as didDean Marney before half time. Neither side managed to score in the second half giving City a 0–1 victory.^[61]

After a break for internationals a home game againstWest Ham United was next up. City'sMarlon King created the first opportunity with a cross toDaniel Cousin who volleyed just passed the post. At the other endCarlton Cole shot straight atBoaz Myhill.Dean Marney came close twice for City beforeHérita Ilunga headed wide,Valon Behrami shot past the post andCraig Bellamy shot over the crossbar. The game was goalless at half time. Soon after the restart, a corner byAndy Dawson was headed home byMichael Turner to open the scoring.Carlton Cole nearly levelled immediately but his shot came off the crossbar.Kamil Zayatte almost had a second for Hull but shot over the bar leaving Hull with a 1–0 victory over the visitors.^[62]

An away match atWest Bromwich Albion was the next action by the Tigers. Albion opened the stronger, withIshmael Miller being blocked byAndy Dawson who picked up an injury which saw him being substituted forSam Ricketts after only 10 minutes. Albion'sBorja Valero had a shot that was saved byBoaz Myhill,Jonas Olsson hitting the rebound off the crossbar forRoman Bednář to miss the second rebound. On a break City gained a corner butKamil Zayatte headed wide. ADaniel Cousin shot was deflected andScott Carson scooped the ball off the line to leave the game goalless at half time. Soon after the restart City gained a corner andKamil Zayatte volleyed home. Albion'sRyan Donk andJames Morrison had shots saved beforeMarlon King put the ball into the area for a divingGeovanni to head in. Minutes laterMarlon King was also on the score sheet after slotting in to the corner of the net, leaving it another away victory of 0–3 for City.^[63]

A mid-week home game against leadersChelsea followed, with a record crowd at theKC Stadium.Chelsea were soon in the lead whenFrank Lampard lobbed in. Soon after the break indecision in the City defence allowedNicolas Anelka to run in and slot home. After missing several attemptsFlorent Malouda finally scored from six yards from aRicardo Carvalho cross. City lost 0–3 in a match which could have been an even heavier defeat.^[64]

Then on 1 November the Tigers travelled toOld Trafford to playManchester United away from home. The match was gripping, and after 3 minutes United scored only to be brought back to earth by the Tigers free kick headed in byDaniel Cousin. United went on to score a further 3 goals, but after half time the Tigers scored two more goals in the final few minutes throughBernard Mendy andGiovanni. The final score was 4–3 to Manchester United.^[65]

^[66]

^a Goal originally attributed as an own goal by Pamarot but later awarded to Windass after a review by theDubious Goals Committee.^[97]

Top Goalscorer
Geovanni – 8

Assists
Bernard Mendy – 6

Appearances
Michael Turner – 38
(Turner was one of only two outfield players in the Premier League to play every minute of every game)^[98]

Attendance
Average: 24,816
Highest: 24,945 vs. Manchester United
Lowest: 24,282 vs. Wigan Athletic

Updated 16 May 2009.

 ^{[52][56][99][2][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][77][97][100][79][101][80][102][81][82][83][103][84][104][85][87][88][105][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][1]}

No.	Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total		Discipline
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	Boaz Myhill	28	0	3	0	0	0	31	0	2	0
2	DF	Nathan Doyle	2+1	0	3	0	1	0	6+1	0	0	0
3	DF	Andy Dawson	25	1	3	0	0	0	28	1	8	0
4	MF	Ian Ashbee	31	1	2+1	1	0	0	33+1	2	10	0
5	DF	Wayne Brown	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	1	0
6	DF	Michael Turner	38	4	4	1	0+1	0	42+1	5	3	0
7	FW	Craig Fagan	15+7	3	3	0	0	0	18+7	3	9	0
8	MF	Nick Barmby	13+8	1	2+1	1	1	0	16+9	2	2	0
9	FW	Dean Windass	1+4	1	0	0	1	1	2+4	2	2	0
10	MF	Geovanni	32+2	8	3	0	0	0	35+2	8	3	0
11	MF	Bryan Hughes	1+5	0	0+1	0	1	0	2+6	0	0	0
12	GK	Matt Duke	10	0	2	0	1	0	13	0	0	0
13	MF	Ryan France	1+1	0	2+2	0	1	0	4+3	0	1	0
14	MF	Richard Garcia	13+10	1	3+1	0	0	0	16+11	1	2	0
15	DF	Bernard Mendy	15+13	2	2+2	0	1	0	18+15	2	6	0
16	MF	Péter Halmosi	4+14	0	4+1	1	1	0	9+15	1	3	0
17	DF	Paul McShane	17	1	2	0	0	0	19	1	3	0
17	MF	Kevin Kilbane	15+1	0	0	0	0	0	15+1	0	1	0
18	FW	Caleb Folan	2+13	1	2+2	0	1	0	5+15	1	2	1
19	MF	John Welsh	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
20	MF	George Boateng	21+2	0	2	0	0	0	23+2	0	6	0
21	DF	Sam Ricketts	27+2	0	6	0	0	0	33+2	0	7	1
22	MF	Dean Marney	26+5	0	4	0	0	0	30+5	0	6	1
23	FW	Marlon King	19+1	5	0+1	0	0+1	0	19+3	5	1	0
24	DF	Kamil Zayatte	31+1	1	5	1	0	0	36+1	2	7	0
25	FW	Daniel Cousin	18+9	4	3	1	0	0	21+9	5	1	0
26	GK	Tony Warner	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
27	FW	Nicky Featherstone	0	0	0+1	0	0+1	0	0+2	0	0	0
28	FW	Manucho	6+7	1	2+2	0	0	0	8+9	1	1	0
29	DF	Matt Plummer	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
30	DF	Anthony Gardner	6	0	2	0	0	0	8	0	0	0
31	MF	Will Atkinson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
32	MF	James Bennett	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	MF	Stelios Giannakopoulos	0+2	0	1	0	0	0	1+2	0	1	0
33	MF	Jimmy Bullard	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
35	DF	Liam Cooper	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
36	MF	Jamie Devitt	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
37	FW	Bill Law	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
38	DF	Joe Lamplough	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	DF	Steve Gardner	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
42	FW	Ryan Kendall	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
43	GK	Tom Woodhead	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
—	GK	Mark Oxley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Considering starts in all competitions^[106][107]

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	MS	Notes
1	GK		Boaz Myhill	31
21	RB		Sam Ricketts	33
6	CB		Michael Turner	42
24	CB		Kamil Zayatte	36
3	LB		Andy Dawson	28
22	CM		Dean Marney	30
4	CM		Ian Ashbee	33
20	CM		George Boateng	23
10	AM		Geovanni	35
23	CF		Marlon King	19	Paul McShane has 19 starts
25	CF		Daniel Cousin	21

Michael Turner was once again named as player of the year, as well as players' player of the year, Hull City Official Supporters Club's player of the year, and CITY Magazine player of the year.^[108][109]Ian Ashbee came second andGeovanni came third, with Geovanni's goal against Arsenal being voted goal of the season.

Updated 15 May 2008.^[110]

• Manager:Phil Brown
• Assistant Manager:Brian Horton
• First Team Coach:Steve Parkin
• Goalkeeping Coach:Mark Prudhoe
• Fitness Coordinator: Sean Rush
• Under-23 Development Coach:Trevor Morgan
• Head of Youth:Billy Russell
• Youth Recruitment Officer:Neil Mann
• Centre of Excellence Director/FITC Officer: John Davies
• Team Surgeon: Christer Rolf
• Team Doctor: Russell Young
• Head Physiotherapist: Simon Maltby
• Assistant Physiotherapist: Liam McGarry
• Kit Manager: Barry Lowe
• Chief Scout: Bob Shaw

For the 2008–09 season Hull used the most common black and amber stripes as their home kit.^[111] They used a flint coloured shirt as their away shirt.^[112] As the flint away kit clashed with Newcastle United's black and white home kit, Hull had to borrow white shorts and socks from their opponents. The teams met again in the FA Cup so to avoid a similar incident, Hull wore the previous season's all-white away kit in the replay at St James' Park. The goalkeeper kit was light blue, a similar colour had been used as an away shirt in previous seasons. Hull's kit was produced byUmbro and the home shirt hadKaroo printed on the front as the sponsor, as did the goalkeeper's shirt; the away and third shirts however hadKingston Communications as the sponsor on the front.^{[113][114][115]}

Hull's Home kit for 2008–09.[113]

Hull's Away Kit for 2008–09[114]

Hull's Third Kit for 2008–09

Hull's Goalkeeper Kit for 2008–09[115]

Hull entered the FA Cup at the third round stage and were handed a home tie againstNewcastle United. The match took place on 3 January 2009 at the KC Stadium and although both sides had chances, neither were able to break the dead-lock.^[100] A replay atSt James' Park took place on 14 January 2009. Newcastle had the better of the first-half. After 21 minutes,Nicky Butt headed a free kick onto the crossbar and later, after a clash of Hull defenders,Michael Owen shot high with onlyMatt Duke to beat. After half-time, Owen had a low shot low turned round the post by Duke, whileCharles N'Zogbia had a shot blocked by Zayatte. Cousin broke the dead-lock on 81 minutes by turning in a Garcia cross. Newcastle had opportunities to equalise but failed to find the target.^[101]

Hull's 0–1 win at Newcastle put them in the draw for the fourth round and they were given another home match this time againstFootball League One teamMillwall. The match took place on 24 January 2009 at the KC Stadium. Hull fielded a changed team which saw goalkeeperTony Warner getting a debut. Turner put Hull in the lead with a header following a Dawson free kick. Millwall failed to make the most of their opportunities and Hull sealed the match with a late strike by Ashbee.^[102]

Hull entered the fifth round for the first time since 1989^[102] and were given an away tie with local teamSheffield United. The local derby match took place on 14 February 2009 atBramall Lane. Sheffield were quickly on the score sheet with a header byGreg Halford from a cross byDavid Cotterill. Hull responded before half time whenKamil Zayatte headed in anAndy Dawson centre. There were opportunities for both sides in the second half but no one was able to break the 1–1 dead-lock.^[103]

The fifth round replay took place on 26 February at the KC stadium. Hull took the lead when a header from United defenderKyle Naughton bounced off his own crossbar and crossed the line for an own-goal. United levelled soon after with aBilly Sharp shot. City sealed the match early in the second half whenPéter Halmosi shot in from aNick Barmby cross. Hull's 2–1 win gave them a place in the last eight for the first time in 38 years.^[104]

A quarter-final game againstArsenal at theEmirates Stadium on 17 March 2009 was the prize for getting to this stage in the competition. Hull started the best and after 13 minutes took the lead when aNick Barmby shot from an Andy Dawson cross was deflected into the Arsenal net. AGeovanni free kick was pushed over byCesc Fàbregas followed by a Nick Barmby goal being disallowed for offside. Kamil Zayatte also came close with a header before Arsenal started to reply before the break with anAndrey Arshavin shot blocked bySam Ricketts. Following the break Arsenal continued to apply pressure withAbou Diaby heading wide and then Andrei Arshavin being blocked by Sam Ricketts. ARobin van Persie header was blocked on the line byAndy Dawson andAlex Song shot the rebound wide. Following sustained pressure, Hull were pegged back byRobin van Persie after 74 minutes. Hull almost regained the lead from a Geovanni shot which went wide, butSamir Nasri lofted a free-kick into the area which keeperBoaz Myhill failed to hold andWilliam Gallas headed home the winner from what looked like an offside position. Hull could not respond and lost the match 1–2 on the night with Arsenal going on to playChelsea in the semi-final.^[105]

Top Goalscorer

Assists

Appearances

Attendance
Average:
Highest:
Lowest:

On Wednesday 13 August the draw for the League Cup second round was made. Hull wereseeded so they couldn't get another Premier League side. Hull City were drawn away to Swansea.^{[116][117][118][119]} The game took place on 27 August. Hull scored first with aDean Windass goal in the 11th minute.Gorka Pintado equalised for Swansea in the 63rd minute, then he missed a penalty in extra time. The game went to added time. Swansea scored a penalty 14 minutes into added time, taking Hull out of the League Cup in the first round.^[99]

Top Goalscorer

Assists

Appearances

Attendance
Average:
Highest:
Lowest:

• Hull City A.F.C. seasons

• BBC Sport: Hull City fixture list 2008–09Archived 19 December 2008 at theWayback Machine

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• 2008–09 Premier League by team
• 2000s in Kingston upon Hull

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