Hull City defeated Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final, and Sergej Jakirovic believes the Tigers would not hold back their celebrations.
Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic joked that his players will “burn down the hotel” after winning the Championship play-off final and securing a return to the Premier League. Oli McBurnie’s 94th-minute goal gave the Tigers a 1-0 victory at Wembley. It means Hull will return to the top flight next season for the first time since the 2016-17 season, after dropping to League One in 2021.
Hull’s triumph also means that they will earn at least £205 million more in income over the next three seasons. And their ecstatic Croatian manager, Jakirovic, told Sky Sports: “Today, I believe we will burn down this hotel! Tonight, we are going to party 100%. Tomorrow we return to Hull, and Monday is an open bus [parade].”
McBurnie informed the same station that he plans to have one or two celebration beers this evening. When asked if he would limit the number of beers the striker Scot drinks, Jakirovic simply stated, “You know as a head coach, you can’t control this!” I am not a police officer. The most important thing to me is being on the pitch. I don’t care about my personal life at all.”
The 49-year-old former defender continued, “It’s an incredible sensation. I still can’t believe we achieved it, given how much we struggled during the game. We had one or two solid chances in the first half. “After 15 minutes, we changed shape.”We experienced troubles in the first 15 minutes. We were waiting for our opportunity, the transitions, but it was quite hot. The regular season had ended, and it was as if you were starting a fresh tournament, regardless of how many points you had won. Millwall got ten more points than us.”It’s about pressure. During the regular season, you have time to remedy things. This is a very, extremely rigorous and difficult league. I’ve worked in Turkey, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it’s all different. The tension, with so many games, is tremendous.”
Jakirovic also quipped that owner Acun Ilicali owes him and his team “a lot of presents now” and stated, “I’m very pleased because we’ve had this click since our first meeting.” The following day, he called and offered me an instant appointment, despite the fact that I still had three games in Turkey to complete the championship.I have their full support, and they believe in me and my team. You cannot do anything without this faith. This is vital. It’s great. We now have six or seven weeks to rest before heading there. I believe the team already has a list of players to sign for the Premier League.
McBurnie, who has 19 goals this season, said: “For the first time ever, I guess I’m dumbfounded! It’s been a long, hard season, and today’s game summed it all up. “We knew we wouldn’t have all of the ball – I don’t think we’ve won a game this year when we’ve had more of the ball than the opposing team!
“The heat made things difficult, and Middlesbrough is an excellent team. We knew we’d be up against it, but we believed we’d only have one chance, and it was written for me.I didn’t expect it would be this late, but what a sensation. “When I first joined Sheffield United, I wasn’t prepared to meet their expectations.”As I’ve gotten older and more mature,
I believe I’ve grown into that role, which I appreciate. “I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so excited for this game!”
Hull has now won all three second-tier play-off finals with a 1-0 scoreline, defeating Bristol City in 2008 and Sheffield Wednesday in 2016.
They are the first club to be promoted to the Premier League after finishing sixth in the Championship table since Blackpool in 2010.
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