Hull City struck gold with 2007, Bradford City agreement | OneFootball

Dean Windass is one of the most iconic figures associated with Hull City

Dean Windass is one of the most legendary figures in the history of Hull City.

The striker went on to live every fan's dream with the Tigers, having gone from watching them on the terraces of Boothferry Park to eventually donning the famous Black and Amber on over 250 occasions across two spells with the club.

It's fair to say that the circumstances which surrounded the East Yorkshire side in both of those stints couldn't have been more contrasting, as Windass was sold by Hull in late 1995 to Aberdeen amid continuous financial difficulties.

City then went on to hit rock bottom before being rescued by Adam Pearson in 2001, at a time when the Hull-born attacker was making a name for himself in the top two divisions of the English pyramid, featuring for the likes of Oxford United, Bradford City and Middlesbrough, before returning to Valley Parade in 2003.

He would then cross paths with his hometown club in 2004/05, as the Tigers achieved a first promotion since 1985 under Peter Taylor, before passing straight through League One with back-to-back promotions.

After consolidating back in the Championship, Taylor then departed for his own boyhood club in Crystal Palace, and after a disastrous three months in charge for Phil Parkinson, Phil Brown was left with the task of maintaining Hull's standing in the second tier.

Losing just two of his first seven games in charge, the Hull boss would then go on to strike gold after a deal to bring Windass back to the club was agreed, initially on a loan basis.

Dean Windass was instrumental in Hull City's Championship survival

The veteran striker made his second debut for the Tigers in a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace just three days after his temporary switch was confirmed.

After a return of 12 goals in his final months for the Bantams, Windass would go on to reach the 20-goal mark across the season and be the top scorer for both Hull and the West Yorkshire side.

His first goals for the club in just under 12 years came in a crucial and impressive 2-0 success over eventual promotion winners Birmingham City at the MKM Stadium, before hitting another brace in the following home game, which was a 5-2 battering at the hands of Ipswich Town.

City would go on to win three of the next four games, with Windass at the heart of a pivotal and dominant 4-0 success over Southend United on home turf, scoring a hat-trick which included a tremendous volley, before setting up Sam Ricketts for the fourth goal.

With the relegation dogfight going down to the wire, his eighth and final goal of the season was priceless for Hull in both the short and long-term, with his close-range finish against play-off hopefuls Cardiff City at Ninian Park after 52 minutes all-but sealing survival for Brown's side, as Yorkshire rivals Leeds United were defeated by Ipswich at Elland Road, before their relegation was eventually confirmed with a 10-point deduction.

Dean Windass went on to further cement his Hull City legacy

The off-season then saw Paul Duffen acquire the club from Pearson, with the new chairman outlining a three-year plan to reach the Premier League for the first time in the club's history.

A deal was then struck with Bradford to make Windass' switch permanent, as a two-year deal for a fee of just £150,000 was agreed between the two sides.

He would then start the 2007/08 season in fine fettle, scoring Hull's first goal of the campaign after just three minutes against Plymouth Argyle in an end-to-end 3-2 defeat, before scoring in victories over Norwich City and Wolves.

Windass would also show the hallmarks of a lethal strike partnership with Manchester United loanee Frazier Campbell, supplying the youngster with the first goal of his fruitful breakout period in HU3 in a 3-0 success over Barnsley.

Six goal involvements in the next five outings followed, which included a penalty against Sheffield United and a double in the Humber Derby against Scunthorpe United, before momentum soon started to gather after Brown's side suffered 7-0 aggregated away defeats at Preston North End and Southampton.

The striker then returned to goalscoring form with a sublime free-kick against Sheffield Wednesday and a double against Plymouth in the FA Cup, as well as being the scurge of the Pilgrims once more in February 2008 with the solitary goal.

Windass then missed seven games through injury after securing a point for Hull against Blackpool, with the club sat just inside the play-offs upon his return, which coincided with a run of five wins in six games that propelled the side up to second place, with the striker netting his final goal of the regular season with his first touch to seal a 3-1 win at Oakwell.

There was concern over the forward's availability in the final weeks of the season, after a horror challenge from Shaun Derry of Crystal Palace left Windass requiring over 20 stitches, and, despite playing the full 90 minutes on the final day, Hull were unable to topple Stoke City, who secured automatic promotion.

That meant it was the play-offs for Hull against a Watford side who'd ended the season with just one win in their final 14 games, and the momentum City had gathered showed over two legs, with the experience of Windass and fellow Hullensian, Nick Barmby, key in securing a 6-1 aggregate victory and a first trip to Wembley Stadium to face Bristol City.

"From those days on the South Stand at Boothferry Park with my old man watching Hull City play and always wanting to play for them, to walk out at Wembley will be a very proud day," he said.

Fortunately for the 39-year-old, the script was written perfectly, as with 38 minutes on the clock, Hull broke from a Robins corner, and after Louis Carey's slip, Campbell was able to pick out an unchallenged Windass who executed a perfect first-time volley past Adriano Basso, sparking scenes of jubilation at the opposite end of the National Stadium.

He would then be taken off on 71 minutes for then club-record signing Caleb Folan, and would be waiting an agonising 25-minute period before Alan Wiley's full-time whistle brought unprecedented scenes in Hull's history, with their hometown hero and supporter reduced to tears after racing onto the pitch.

"I don't think there's anybody left in Hull, I think," he told Sky Sports. "It's absolutely surreal, I can't believe it, and to score the winning goal."

"Frazier Campbell, he picked me out, and I just volleyed it. I couldn't believe it went in the top corner."

"It's just unbelievable, look at this (the full-time scenes), it's absolutely fantastic."

Dean Windass' final season at Hull City

Prior to promotion, Windass had agreed improved terms on his contract which expired in the summer of 2009, and he returned to pre-season very much a part of Brown's plans, despite a mass influx of new signings such as Marlon King and Geovanni in attack.

The veteran was an unused substitute in Hull's maiden Premier League encounter and victory over Fulham, but netted his first goal of the season in an EFL Cup defeat to Swansea City just a week later, and made his first top flight start for six years in a 5-0 home defeat to Wigan Athletic.

He would make the final four of his 271 appearances in Black and Amber as a substitute against Chelsea, Portsmouth, Liverpool and Manchester City, with the second of those games yielding his solitary top flight goal for the Tigers, despite claims that the final touch came off Pompey defender, Noe Pamarot.

Windass was then left frustrated by a lack of first-team opportunities and joined Oldham Athletic on loan, which he later admitted was a mistake, as his temporary switch, which included a 40-minute goalkeeping cameo against Leicester City in which he kept the Foxes at bay, ended after just two months.

The charismatic frontman would then be released at the end of the season as Hull survived by a point ahead of Newcastle United, before his contributions were celebrated with a testimonial against his former side, Aberdeen in the following pre-season.

His post-footballing career has been well-documented, But after recently revealing his Stage-Two Dementia diagnosis, Windass' former City boss, Brown, and captain Ian Ashbee have urged supporters and the wider footballing community to give their support.