Hull's Victory over QPR: Reports & John Gregory Comments

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Managerial Comments Sporting Life -By Chris Wilson, PA Sport
JOHN GREGORY
Counterpart John Gregory blamed "eight minutes of madness" for the potentially-damaging loss - his side's fifth away defeat on the bounce - but felt Rangers were good for at least a point.
"I thought we did enough to win the game," he said.
"It was a harsh lesson for my inexperienced players and they have to learn from that.
"I couldn't see Hull scoring in a month of Sundays. They had one or two close shaves but other than that, Simon (Royce) hasn't had that many saves to make.
"But in the last 20 minutes, the home crowd were probably their best player - they influenced the game like you'll never believe.
"It was just that last eight minutes of madness which we didn't deal with."
On Cook's sending-off - his second yellow card was for dissent - Gregory added: "If he's said something detrimental to the referee then he fully deserved it.
"He (Cook) told me what he said and it wasn't foul and abusive language.
"It certainly didn't help having 10 men on the pitch." Sporting Life

QPR OFFICIAL SITE - GREGORY'S COMMENTS
Gaffer John Gregory cut a forlorn figure, as the R's lost 2-1 to relegation rivals Hull at the KC Stadium.
A last gasp Stuart Elliott double gave Phil Brown's side maximum points.
"I honestly thought we'd done enough to win the game.
"We were cruising until the last eight minutes and needless to say, I'm gutted with what happened in those eight minutes.''
Gregory took a swipe at referee Mr Miller, who as well as waving away appeals for a blatant Rangers spot-kick with the score at 1-1, also sent off Lee Cook.
"The fact that everyone is talking about the referee tells me everything I need to know.
"I think the referee should have sent himself off if I'm being honest.
"If Lee Cook has said something detrimental then he deserved to go, but he tells me he was just complaining about the shocking decision not to award us a penalty.
"The home crowd was probably Hull's best player today, because I thought they were poor. They certainly influenced the referee and in the end they've managed to get the three points.''
Gregory added: "The minutes of madness at the end have cost us today.
"We've always been very strong from set-pieces and to concede in the manner we did was disappointing. It's the first goal we've conceded from a corner since I arrived here.
"It's a harsh lesson for my team. They've been given a huge rude awakening today.
"I couldn't see them scoring in a month of Sunday's to be honest.''QPR

BBC - QPR manager John Gregory:
"I thought we did enough to win the game. It was a harsh lesson for my inexperienced players and they have to learn from that.
"I couldn't see Hull scoring in a month of Sundays, but in the last 20 minutes the home crowd was their best player - they really influenced the game.
"It was just that last eight minutes of madness which we didn't deal with." BBC

PA Sports- Phil BRown
Phil Brown praised substitute Stuart Elliott after his goals gave Hull a crucial 2-1 win at home to fellow strugglers QPR.
Despite suffering with an asthmatic problem, the Northern Ireland international showed excellent awareness to score two late goals which gave Hull a four-point cushion from the Coca-Cola Championship relegation zone.

"He's the hero this week and every credit to the lad," Brown said of Elliott's contribution. "He's a very honest lad and has an asthmatic problem, which has been well documented.
"He came to me five or six games ago and admitted he can't do 90 minutes and was not doing justice to himself or for the team.
"He needs to prove to us he's a goalscorer in the Championship and he proved that here."

Hull may have emerged deserved winners but the visitors were set fair for an unlikely away win after Dexter Blackstock scored in first-half injury-time.

But with time running out, parity was restored when Elliott side-footed home Dean Marney's perfect cross.

Lee Cook was then dismissed for a second bookable offence before Northern Ireland international Elliott scored the matchwinner with a deft header off Marney's corner.

Brown added: "I thought I had done something wrong leading up to the game because of the number of chances we had.

"We did not deserve to be 1-0 down but you have to remain positive and strong and we did that.

"The strikers will take all the credit but I thought our defenders played magnificently - it was a great spectacle for Championship football."

Brown also revealed the club have had a bid for Hull-born midfielder David Prutton accepted by Championship rivals Southampton.

"The second bid we made has been accepted by and we have been given permission to talk to him," said the Hull boss. Sporting Life


Sporting Life - Hull 2 QPR 1
By Chris Wilson, PA Sport
Substitute Stuart Elliott's late double earned Coca-Cola Championship strugglers Hull a 2-1 win against 10-man QPR.

Both sides are in desperate need for points given the proximity between themselves and the relegation zone.

But for a long time it looked like Rangers were going to pull off a classic smash-and-grab raid after Dexter Blackstock scored in first-half injury-time.

Blackstock cashed in on Lee Cook's fine cross and Bo Myhill's bad mistake to give Rangers an unlikely advantage given the dominance of Hull in the first half.

Phil Brown's team remained in the ascendancy after the interval and scored the goals their efforts deserved when Elliott made an emphatic impact from off the substitutes' bench.

The Northern Ireland international side-footed in the equaliser before heading home the winner in injury-time against a QPR side who also had Cook dismissed for two bookable offences late in the game.

Hull began brightly and should have taken the lead after 22 minutes when centre-back Michael Turner dragged a 10-yard effort wide after QPR failed to deal with Dean Marney's corner.

John Gregory's men were then found wanting when Damion Stewart's feeble header back to Royce was snaffled up by the onrushing Steve McPhee, whose attempted lob arrowed just over the crossbar.

Gregory's game plan hit a snag shortly afterwards when captain Marcus Bignot suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Finnish debutant Sam Timoska, who was drafted in at left-back.

Despite that setback, Rangers rallied towards the end of the first half and caught Hull in disarray with their only real attack before the break.

Myhill made a mess of Cook's left-wing cross and Blackstock bundled the ball into the back of the net from close range.

Hull came out fighting after the restart and came close to an equaliser when Nicky Forster, who replaced Nick Barmby at the interval, sliced a fierce left-foot hit into the side-netting.

Fortune then twice favoured the visitors when Marney's free-kick from the left of the penalty box deflected off Rangers' wall and onto the outside of the right-hand post.

With Hull continuing to boss proceedings, the woodwork again came to QPR's rescue when Turner's thumping header off Marney's corner rattled off the crossbar and away to safety.
The away team eventually ran out of luck late on when the excellent Marney sent over a perfect cross to Elliott, who slammed the ball home from inside the six-yard box.
QPR's faltering finish to the game was compounded when Cook was sent-off for dissent by referee Nigel Miller, whose inconsistencies ran parallel to this unpredictable game of football.
Elliott was to have the final word, however, with a deft header off another brilliant Marney delivery which enabled Hull to move level on points with a QPR side who can have few complaints.
Hull Myhill, Ricketts, Turner, Delaney, Dawson, Marney,Ashbee, Livermore (Elliott 80), McPhee (Duffy 67), Parkin,Barmby (Forster 46).
Subs Not Used: Duke, Coles.
Booked: Parkin, Ashbee, Livermore.
Goals: Elliott 85, 90.
QPR Royce, Bignot (Timoska 31), Stewart, Mancienne, Kanyuka,Cook, Lomas, Smith, Bircham (Baidoo 61), Ray Jones,Blackstock (Furlong 76).
Subs Not Used: Cole, Bailey.
Sent Off: Cook (87).
Booked: Blackstock, Timoska, Cook, Lomas.
Goals: Blackstock 45.
Att: 19,791
Ref: N Miller (Co Durham). Sporting Life

HULL OFFICIAL SITE
Elliott Sets Tigers Roaring

Stuart ElliottTwo goals in the final five minutes from substitute Stuart Elliott saw the Tigers come from behind to claim a deserved 2-1 win against Queens Park Rangers at the KC Stadium.

In a rip-roaring contest, City's luck appeared to be out as they hit the woodwork twice during the second half.

But the introduction of Elliott changed the game dramatically as the Tigers produced a storming finish.

As expected, Damien Delaney, Dean Marney and Nick Barmby all returned to the starting line up as manager Phil Brown made three changes to his side.

That meant no place for Danny Coles or Elliott, who both dropped to the bench, while Ryan France missed out completely.

Neither goalkeeper was tested early on, the first effort of the game coming courtesy of Barmby with an acrobatic kick, but it was always going wide.

City were playing some attractive football. Jon Parkin released Barmby down the right and when his pulled the ball back to Parkin, he saw his chip land on the roof of the net.

The first shot on target of the afternoon came from the visitors, Mark Bircham firing an effort from distance which Boaz Myhill saved comfortably.

Michael Turner had to swap shirts after he received a bloody nose following an aerial challenge before Stephen McPhee saw his effort ruled out for offside.

City won their first corner on 21 minutes. Marney delivered a good ball into the box, but it was dealt with by the Rangers defence. When it was returned, Turner found himself through on goal but somehow managed to shoot wide.

McPhee was presented with a good chance on 27 minutes when Damien Stewart's back-header fell short, but as the City striker attempted to hook the ball over advancing keeper Simon Royce, he directed it wide.

QPR were forced to make a change just after the half hour. Marcus Bignot left the field following a challenge by Barmby and was replaced by Sam Timoska.

McPhee gave Barmby a good opportunity in the 34th minute, but a poor first touch allowed a defender to recover to make a challenge. That tackle left Barmby needing treatment, but after two or three minutes he gingerly returned to the action.

The physios were certainly being kept busy with Rangers striker Ray Jones the next man to need treatment.

That fact was highlighted when five minutes of added time were added at the end of the half.

During that time, QPR produced a killer blow. Myhill fumbled Bircham's low cross from the left at the feet of Dexter Blackstock and he produced the required finish.

Parkin was then booked for a foul on Pat Kanyuka as frustration began to get the better of the players.

Half Time: Tigers 0-1 QPR.

City had to make a change at half time. Barmby wasn't fit enough to return and he was replaced by last weekend's goal-scoring hero Nicky Forster.

Straight away, the referee had the fans frustrated as the half got off to two 'false' starts.

Forster won City a corner with his first involvement in the game, but they failed to make anything of it.

The substitute then crashed a shot into the side-netting as the Tigers looked to build some momentum.

City were awarded a free kick right on the edge of the box when Forster was brought down by Kanyuka. Marney took the free kick and saw it deflect off the wall before hitting the post and rebounding to safety.

Ian Ashbee was booked in the 60th minute for dissent after the referee had made another baffling decision.

Livermore was the next man to be booked following a mistimed challenge on touchline.

City made their second change on 67 minutes as Darryl Duffy came on to replace McPhee.

Forster went close again on 69 minutes after driving into the box, this time seeing his shot deflect wide. From the corner, City hit the woodwork for a second time as Turner's header came back off the crossbar.

At the other end, Jones hit the side-netting from a difficult angle.

Andy Dawson and Blackstock then squared up to each other after a late challenge by the latter, who was booked for the foul.

Parkin missed a golden opportunity in the 75th minute, firing over with the goalkeeper in no-man's land.

The Tigers made their final change with 11 minutes to go as Elliott replaced Livermore.

Elliott almost made an immediate impact when his corner picked out Ashbee, but the captain headed over from eight yards out.

Elliott did have the desired impact five minutes from time. Parkin released Marney down the right. He crossed low across the face of goal where Elliott was on hand to apply the finish from close range.

QPR were reduced to ten men with four minutes to go when Lee Cook was shown a second yellow card for dissent.

City were awarded a free kick just outside the box when Ashbee was fouled. Marney wasted the opportunity as he blasted the ball high over the bar.

The Tigers won the game in the second minute of added time. Elliott saw his free kick deflected over for a corner. This time, Marney's delivery was spot on and Elliott glanced home a header off the inside of the post.

That wasn't the end of the drama, though. The referee allowed the game to drift into a sixth minute of added time, despite only indicating four. From a late free kick, the ball dropped to Shabbaz Baidoo who saw his shot kicked off the line by Parkin as City clung on for a vital win. Hull