What a week to be a city fan. On paper, two tough games cough up the glorious sum of four points. The first, a thrilling midweek victory against Everton, was followed by a battling point against man City’s multi-million assembled band of ‘stars’ thanks to Jimmy Bullard’s late penalty.

While City showed on Wednesday that they could win without their cockney talisman, Bullard’s return was still greeted with delight by the travelling fans, as part of a team that looked set up to ‘have a go’. I was expecting Phil Brown to field a more negative side, but the Tigers boss managed to incorporate both Geo and Bullard into a 4-4-2 formation, with Geo playing alongside the ever-improving Jozy Altidore.

After 11 minutes of Saturday’s game between Hull City and West Ham, Phil Brown looked doomed. After a dubious team selection and a horrendous start to the game, the Tigers boss was on the precipice; but then, an amazing comeback occurred, and while a three goal blitz before half time only brought one point instead of three, the manner of the result could cement Brown’s long term future at the club more than a scrappy one-nil victory would have. Make no mistake; the players are really backing the manager now.

Though you wouldn’t think it in the manner of the team’s defending on Saturday. Three horrible goals were conceded, with all of the five defensive players to blame at some point. A free header from a corner, needlessly conceded by Mendy and Zayatte, a looping head that Dawson probably, and Duke certainly, should have dealt with better, and a ill-defended corner in which City’s towering centre halves were nowhere to be seen. A worrying state of affairs, but let’s be nice and put it down to bad defensive day at the office.

Wow, what a day, with a huge win for the Tigers coming at the end of another tumultuous week. Late winning goals are always special, but particularly when they come against Stoke, a horrible club that I detest. The sight of their fans trudging out of the KC with two minutes to go with live long in my heart. Take that Pulis!

I’m really pleased for Phil Brown, who must have had a nightmarish week. His ally Paul Duffen gone, the Tigers boss faced some heart-to-heart meetings with returning Tigers chairman Adam Pearson, who would only assure him that he would take charge of Sunday’s game at Stoke, suggesting the axe was about to drop. Brownie desperately needed a result, and got one thanks to Vennegoor of Hesselink’s injury-time winner.

Phil Brown’s plight became even more desperate on Saturday thanks to referee Mike Jones, who kindly decided that Burnley should get the three points in the Turf Moor clash. Can I just say now, I hate blaming referees for Hull City losing games. It is pathetically lazy, sloppy way to excuse bad performances.

I can only remember three occasions when I genuinely thought the referee ‘robbed’ the Tigers of points, the first in 2000 (I think) when Uriah Rennie awarded a last-minute winner to Torquay after Eifion Williams had kicked the ball out of Paul Musselwhite’s hands. The second was away to Scunny in I think 2003, when Steve Mclean was awarded a ridiculous non- penalty. The third occurred on Saturday, as Mike Jones served up a performance of ineptitude far scarier than anything seen on the streets of Burnley on Halloween night.