Preview: Hull City v Fleetwood Town

11 January 2021

Fleetwood Town face Hull City on Tuesday 12 January at the KCOM Stadium in Papa John’s Trophy, and we have all you need to know ahead of the 5:30pm kick-off in our match preview.

Fixture: Hull City v Fleetwood Town

Competition: Papa John’s Trophy Round Three

Date: Tuesday 12 January 2021

Kick-off: 17:30

Venue: KCOM Stadium, West Park, Hull, HU3 6HU

Match officials: Ross Joyce (Referee), Barry Gordon & Conor Brown (Assistant Referees), Tom Bishop (Fourth Official)

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FLEETWOOD TOWN

Town are back in a full training programme now after serving an isolation period due to reported Covid-19 cases within the squad and have now linked up with interim head coach Simon Wiles ahead of Tuesday night’s cup clash.

In the last game Fleetwood played, they ended up drawing 1-1 with Crewe Alexandra at The Alexandra Stadium on Boxing Day. Wes Burns opened the scoring in that one, but a controversial goal by former-Fleetwood forward Mikael Mandron meant the game would finish in a draw.

Before that, Town conceded late on in their League One clash against Wigan as they shared the points in a 1-1 draw at Highbury Stadium. Danny Andrew broke the deadlock midway through the first half, but Wigan made a comeback inside the last ten minutes as Oliver Crankshaw latched onto a stray ball in the box, heading it home.

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HULL CITY

Hull are currently sitting in second place in the Sky Bet League One table and managed to beat Crewe on penalties to earn their spot in the third round of the Papa John’s Trophy.

The Tigers’ most recent game was an away trip to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland in the league, which finished in a 1-1 draw. Reece Burke opened the scoring for Hull on the day, but Aiden McGeady’s 21^st minute strike levelled it up.

The week before that, Hull managed to get past Charlton Athletic 2-0 as Hakeeb Adelukan and Greg Docherty both got on the score sheet on the day. The Addicks tried to forge a comeback in the game but a Darren Pratley red card in the 63^rd minute stalled that approach.

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ONE TO WATCH: MALLIK WILKS

One player to watch in Town’s cup fixture against Hull is Mallik Wilks. The 22-year-old is the top scorer for the Tigers so far this season as he has bagged nine goals so far, with seven coming in the league and two in the Carabao Cup.

Wilks started his professional career in the Leeds United academy but spent most of his two-and-a-half years at the club out on loan. In August 2017, he went on a short-loan to Accrington and scored five goals in 24 appearances.

Loan spells at Grimsby and Doncaster followed, with the latter proving to be a clinical-stage in his early career. The Yorkshire-forward spent the 2018/19 season with the side, playing in 55 games and finding the back of the net on 16 occasions.

This form earned him a move to Barnsley in July 2019, and halfway through the season, he was loaned out to Hull and continued his goalscoring form for the League One side. After the loan, the Tigers signed him permanently, and has scored another ten goals since that deal was made.

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WATCH TOWN ON iFOLLOW!

Supporters can now purchase video match passes for Fleetwood Town’s Papa John’s Trophy clash against Hull City on Tuesday.

With fans still unable to attend games, the iFollow match pass is your best option to watch the Cod Army play.

This will be Simon Wiles’ first game in charge after being named interim head coach at Fleetwood Town, with the team travelling to the KCOM Stadium to face The Tigers in the cup - and you can watch the game for just £10!

If you'd like to purchase your match pass, click HERE.

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Match Previews

Match Reports

Report: Town knocked out of Papa John's Trophy after late Coyle strike

12 January 2021

Fleetwood Town were knocked out of the Papa John’s Trophy after losing 3-2 to Hull City at the KCOM Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The Cod Army took the lead through Paddy Madden early on, with Wes Burns adding to that early on in the second half. Hull pulled one back through substitute Mallik Wilks before Keane Lewis-Potter and Lewie Coyle both found the back of the net to earn their side a spot in the next round.

Town started the game the brighter of the two sides where within the first five minutes Burns found himself in behind the hosts’ defence, drilled a ball across the face of the box but no player in red could capitalise.

The Cod Army started moving up the gears soon after, passing the ball around with confidence and looking threatening on the attack, where only a few minutes later the hard work was rewarded, and the deadlock was broken.

Burns carried the ball down the right flank at the Tigers’ defence with speed, where on the side of the box pulled it back to Madden who took one touch out of his feet and struck the ball from 12 yards into the back of the net with help from the post.

In reaction to going a goal down Hull had a few successive chances around the 20^th minute mark but nothing too testing for emergency loanee Joe Hilton in Town’s goal.

Hull then came forward down their right-hand side as Lewie Coyle pulled the ball back for James Scott whose movement away from James Hill allowed him space for a clear effort on goal from 12 yards out but he couldn’t get the ball out of his feet and Callum Connolly cleared Fleetwood’s lines.

After a surge of attacks from the hosts, Town started to pick up their original stride- it was Paul Coutts who dispossessed Thomas Mayer in the midfield as he spread the ball out left for Josh Morris, he got his head up and found Callum Camps whose clever spin moved him away from Alfie Jones but his effort from range flew past the post.

After making a triple change at half-time, Hull had the first chance of the second half as Keane Lewis-Potter drove into Fleetwood’s box who laid it off for Mallik Wilks, but Connolly was in the way to block the strike.

Town doubled their lead as a J.Morris stood over a free-kick on the byline, played it onto the edge of the box for Burns who pulled the trigger and saw his effort fly through the crowd and into the back of the net in the 53^rd minute.

A chance for the hosts arose in the 60^th minute as Wilks found himself in the right place at the right time after a bouncing ball off Connolly, but the effort could only find the side netting.

Hilton was called into action as Lewis-Potter’s strike was destined for the bottom corner, but Hilton matched it with a save and parried out for a corner which came to nothing.

The home side stayed on the attacking front and started to put the pressure on as Coyle’s left-footed effort was kept out by a diving save from Hilton again.

Hull got the goal they had been pushing for as Wilks headed in George Honeyman’s corner into the back of the net to half the deficit.

The momentum was with the hosts as they equalised only moments later through Lewis-Potter as another corner was swung in from Honeyman and Lewis-Potter was the fastest to react to poke the ball into the back of the net.

The last chance of the game decided it as former-Fleetwood full-back Lewie Coyle tried his luck from 30-yards, with his strike flying into the top-corner of the goal – finishing the comeback for the Tigers.

Town XI: Hilton (GK), Connolly, Whelan (Duffy 60’), Burns (Saunders 71’), Camps, Morris, Coutts (C), Madden, Hill, Rydel, S Morris (Matete 75’).

Hull City XI: Ingram (GK), Coyle (C), Elder, Batty (Wilks 45’), Scott (Honeyman 45’), Jones, McLoughlin, Slater, Mayer (Lewis-Potter 45’), Magennis (Salam 65’), Smith.