Brown bullish after promotion blow

PHIL BROWN insisted Hull are play-off favourites after their automatic promotion hopes were dashed yesterday.

The third-placed Tigers now face Watford over two legs after Stoke beat them into second place, with this tame defeat — secured by Alan Lee’s 70th-minute header — ultimately proving irrelevant thanks to the Potters’ draw with Leicester.

“It’s a lottery now, as every manager will tell you,” Brown said. “We’re in the semi-final of a cup. Watford are not the form team at this moment in time so probably, going into the game, we’ll be favourites. We’ll be well-equipped for it.”