Hull City 2-1 Preston North End: FLW report as Gelhardt double gifts Tigers fresh survival hope

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·21 aprile 2025

Hull City 2-1 Preston North End: FLW report as Gelhardt double gifts Tigers fresh survival hope

FLW report from the MKM Stadium

Hull City secured a vital Easter Monday success at the MKM Stadium, as a second-half Joe Gelhardt double from the penalty spot saw them produce a comeback against Preston North End.

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It looked to be more of the same old problems for the side who held the worst home record in the division heading into the Trans-Pennine encounter in HU3 as Lewis Gibson gave an out-of form North End the lead on 34 minutes as he stabbed home a poorly defended corner.

However, the Tigers were the welcome recipients of all the luck needed in the battle to avoid the drop, as Gelhardt powered his first spot kick past Cornell after being on the end of a high boot from Mads Frokjaer-Jensen five minutes into the second half, before sending the 34-year-old the wrong way on 67 minutes, as City recorded just their fifth win on home turf this season.

Hull City 2-1 Preston North End

The first opportunity of the game came inside three minutes as former Hull favourite, Robbie Brady, looked to bend a curling effort past Ivor Pandur, eventually seeing it deflected behind for a corner off compatriot Sean McLoughlin.

City's first real opportunity to test Cornell came 10 minutes later, although two corners from Nordin Amrabat were marshalled strongly by the Preston rearguard.

Gelhardt would then lose out to Brady in a 50/50, with Milutin Osmajic sent through for his first attempt of the game, with John Egan putting in a strong block to deny the Montenigran.

With 18 minutes gone, the Preston keeper went from zero to hero in the space of 10 seconds for Preston as an initial pass sold Stefan Thordarson short, with Regan Slater sending Amrabat through on the Hull left, eventually seeing his strike thwarted by the Welshman. A subsequent North End counter-attack then ended in Osmajic hitting the side-netting from a narrow angle.

The game then continued to flow in an end-to-end fashion, with Gelhardt seeing a close-range effort blocked by Gibson after a neat interchange between Lewie Coyle and Abu Kamara down Hull's right side.

Half-an-hour into the encounter, Hull were left counting their lucky stars defensively as Brady once again sent Osmajic racing through the middle, eventually laying it off to the advancing Thordarson, who looked to return the favour with a forceful cross that fell behind the striker as he attempted to net his ninth of the season with an improvised effort.

However, Heckingbottom's side would take the lead on 34 minutes as the Tigers failed to deal with yet another Whites corner, with Gibson the grateful recipient as he coolly slotted the ball underneath Ivor Pandur from six yards out to net his first goal for the club.

Hull then responded with three efforts from McLoughlin, Slater and Coyle, with the latter of those forcing Cornell into a fine stop as the right-back sent a volley towards the top corner in what was the last meaningful action of the first period.

A fast start was required for Hull in the second 45, with Gelhardt looking to glance a teasing Coyle cross past Cornell under pressure.

However, the Leeds loanee would be at the forefront of the early second-half action as Thomas Bramall pointed to the spot on 49 minutes as the forward was hacked down inside the box before firing the fourth goal of his loan spell past Cornell from 12 yards, despite the shot-stopper diving the correct way.

With the atmosphere inside the MKM reaching fever pitch, City looked to take the lead in double-quick time as Kamara's cross was almost turned into his own net by Liam Lindsay, before Charlie Hughes was on hand to block another Osmajic shot on 53 minutes with the forward bearing down on goal.

The Tigers would be thanking their centre-back once more just minutes later as his frame denied Ben Whiteman from swiftly restoring North End's advantage after Kaine Kesler-Hayden was able to burst into the box.

Bedlam would then ensue midway through the half as Cornell made a fine stop to deny a side-footed effort from McLoughlin before tripping Kyle Joseph, with Gelhardt on hand to do the honours from the spot, this time sending Cornell the wrong way.

Wounded by their setback, Preston then saw appeals for a penalty of their own waved away as Thordarson went down under pressure from Hughes, with Bramall left unmoved and initially showing a yellow card to Heckingbottom on the sidelines.

12 minutes from time, Kesler Hayden got the better of the newly-introduced Mason Burstow but saw his lofted cross evade the onrushing Andrew Hughes, before the City substitute saw a curling effort of his own blocked by Lindsay.

Jordan Storey looked to level the scores seven minutes from time, but the defender sent a long-distance effort high and wide as time ticked away from the out-of-form Lancashire outfit.

As the game ticked into five minutes of added time, the visitors looked to pile on the pressure, although they would only muster one dangerous opportunity as Lindsay headed a looping Thordarson cross into the grasp of Pandur.

Bramall then called time on a pulsating encounter which saw Hull maintain a two-point buffer over Luton Town in 22nd place ahead of a momentous clash with Derby County in five days time, whilst North End's safety is still far from secure, as a sixth Championship game without victory leaves them four points ahead of the bottom three as they welcome a resurgent Plymouth Argyle side to Deepdale on Saturday.