Hull City will always have Leeds United to thank for now memorable Cardiff City meeting: View | OneFootball

4th May 2013 will always be a memorable occasion in Hull City's history

4th May 2013 will be a significant date for the majority of the 23,812 crowd that were inside the MKM Stadium.

The task at hand was plain and simple for Hull City - a win against Cardiff City would secure a return to the Premier League at the conclusion of Steve Bruce's first season in charge, three years after their first top-flight stint came to an end.

After three dismal showings against relegation-threatened Wolves, Bristol City and Barnsley, Gianfranco Zola's Watford were now breathing down the Tigers' necks by two points, setting up a fascinating backdrop for final day drama.

But, it would be fair to say that absolutely nobody would have foreseen the events that would eventually unfold across the afternoon.

Hull had been used to operating in a successful 3-5-2 system throughout the season, but such tactics were thrown out of the window for the season-defining clash, using a 4-4-2 system in a bid to finally secure promotion after the previous week's 2-0 defeat at Oakwell.

The Tigers weren't known for their prolific nature regardless of riding high in the league table, and after three games without a goal, a cagey first-half against a rotated Cardiff side ensued, with Robbie Brady squandering the best chance of the opening 45, as well as George Boyd seeing an effort ruled out for offside.

However, events at Vicarage Road saw Watford's stand-in goalkeeper Jonathan Bond pole-axed by Ikechi Anya following a push in the back from Leeds United's Dominic Poleon, who would then subsequently play an even greater role of 'Pantomine Villain' as he rounded substitute Jack Bonham on 42 minutes - cue a large roar back in East Yorkshire.

The 16-minute delay caused by Bond's injury was only the start of the drama in Hertfordshire and the MKM, as whilst City fans' heart rate could take the slightest of dips at half-time, Almen Abdi's sublime curler brought Watford back into contention, only needing one more goal to edge past City into the Premier League as things stood.

And then, a moment of 'Typical City' - just four minutes after replacing Etien Velikonja for the visitors, a hero of Hull's 2008 promotion-winning side and previous transfer target, Frazier Campbell, coolly rolled the ball underneath David Stockdale with his first touch to leave the majority of the crowd silent.

At that point, many inside the stadium would've been forgiven for thinking the play-offs would once again be Hull's route to promotion, but just nine minutes later, Nick Proschwitz provided one of two standout moments in the encounter, bringing Bruce's men back level after getting a nick on Stephen Quinn's cross, before the pendulum would swing in the Tigers' favour.

It was then fitting that cult hero Paul McShane turned in Brady's corner on 62 minutes, with bedlam ensuing across all home sections of the ground, with a top-flight return firmly in the side's grasp after a five-minute salvo.

However, as generations of supporters have become accustomed to, Hull rarely do things the easy way, and that would prove to be the case once again.

Cardiff were reduced to ten men after Andrew Taylor's elbow on Ahmed Elmohamady, before David Meyler won a penalty in the fourth minute of added time, with fans already on the pitch at this point, mistaking Keith Stroud's decision as the final whistle.

Proschwitz was then unable to convert from 12 yards, before the most dramatic of last-gasp equalisers followed, as Abdoulaye Faye - 'Captain Marvel' that season for City - handled inside his own box, allowing Nicky Maynard to score a penalty of his own on 95 minutes, with all of a Black and Amber persuasion left to wait anxiously for 15 minutes.

Hull City have Leeds United to thank for 2013 promotion-sealing incident

Up to this point, Hull's fellow Yorkshiremen had held out against a constant barrage of Watford pressure, before Ross McCormack would eventually put City supporters and players out of their misery with the most speculative of efforts.

In a desperate attempt to find a promotion-clinching strike of their own, Watford left themselves susceptible on the counter, with Aiden White feeding the Championship 'bagsman', who then caught the aforementioned Bonham completely off-guard, sparking wild celebrations in East Yorkshire.

"I've been in the game a long time and I've not witnessed anything quite like that. It was ridiculous having to wait for it. There were people waiting in tunnels, in corridors and hiding in toilets," Bruce admitted post-match.

"You can't write it really – it was up there with Man City and United in the Premier League last year. It's been a whirlwind. It was surreal watching the Watford game in the tunnel – it was like a dream. People went absolutely wild," was the verdict issued by McShane, whose cult hero status at the MKM Stadium is defined from his significant act in the proceedings.

Unquestionably, this was a pivotal moment in City's success, with promotion paving the way for a club-record finish the season after, a maiden FA Cup Final and European adventure, as well as a second Championship promotion in 2016.

For those in the crowd on the early-summer afternoon, 4th May 2013 will be a day constantly reminisced about for those of a Black and Amber persuasion.