Hull heading up as Delap is cornered

THE sound of Stoke fans jeering Phil Brown highlighted how the Hull City manager’s profile has risen in two years in the job.

Brown, 49, celebrates the second anniversary of taking charge of the Yorkshire club this week – and will do so with his team still in the top six.

He bemoaned referee Keith Stroud’s decision to award Stoke a late penalty when Ricardo Fuller tumbled under goalkeeper Boaz Myhill’s challenge but still left a fog-filled Britannia Stadium with another point in Hull’s quest to stay up.

It is a far cry from the position the club were in when Brown was placed in temporary charge in December 2006 — 22nd in the Championship.

“The stick from the fans is a compliment to a certain extent,” Brown said. “If the Stoke fans are unhappy it’s because we’ve done our job.”

Marshalled at the back by the outstanding Michael Turner, the visitors repelled the vast majority of Rory Delap’s missile long throws – aside from headers from Leon Cort and Fuller either side of the interval which were saved by Myhill.

The lengths Hull went to as they tried to disrupt Stoke’s reliance on Delap’s throws — eight of Stoke’s previous goals this season had come via his hands — bordered on the extraordinary.

Myhill opted to turn 180 degrees and kick out for a corner rather than put into touch under pressure from midfielder Tom Soares, while veteran substitute Dean Windass received a caution for persistently warming up in the vicinity of Delap.

However, Brown was more frustrated with the award of the spot-kick after Myhill’s hands were adjudged to have made contact with Fuller’s legs 17 minutes from time.

“Ricardo has left his trailing leg and gone down. It’s a tough decision, and I can’t see how the referee can categorically say it’s a penalty.”

Marlon King’s fourth goal of the season had put the visitors ahead on the stroke of half-time, but Stoke were worth their leveller, however controversial.

STOKE (4-4-2): Sorensen 6, Griffin 5, Abdoulaye Faye 6, Cort 6, Higginbotham 6, Soares 5 (Tonge 62, 5), Amdy Faye 6, Diao 6, Delap 5, Sidibe 6, Fuller 7.

Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Olofinjana, Whelan, Cresswell, Dickinson, Sonko.

HULL (4-4-2): Myhill 6, McShane 6, Turner 7, Zayatte 5, Ricketts 6, Marney 6, Boateng 6 (Cousin 78, 5), Ashbee 6, Barmby 5 (Halmosi 69, 5), Geovanni 7 (Garcia 90, 5), King 7.

Subs Not Used: Duke, Windass, Mendy, Giannakopoulos.

REFEREE: Keith Stroud (Hampshire) 5: Appeared to be conned by Fuller for the decisive penalty, although the decision looked understandable.

MATCH RATING: ** Stoke continue to sweat away for their points: Hull played the better football but lacked a killer punch.