Lucky Tigers!

As Matt Fisher's stonking volley crashed into their net in the FA Cup replay almost twenty years ago, Hull City fans must have thought things couldn't get any worse. 

Hull City were in middle of an 8-year spell in the basement division of the Football League.  A few seasons earlier only two teams separated them from dropping out of the Football League altogether.  The following season a "hefty" 5-points divided them from playing non-league nobodies like, well, us.

Various blurry Poppies stars celebrate
like it had recently been 1999

A 1st round draw away to Kettering in the 2000-01 season must have seemed if not a poisoned chalice, at least a bad tasting one.  Even though the Poppies weren't going well under Morris's stuttering leadership (and of course, we ended up the season getting relegated for the first time since decimalisation), a trip to Rockingham Road was probably the last thing the suffering Tigers fans wanted.

Coming away with a 0-0 draw must have been something of a relief.  A home game with a struggling non-league side who hadn't won away all season, with an away tie with Bristol City to follow?  Things were looking up for the Tigers, surely?

Well, after 90 minutes of nip and tuck, Hull had been dumped on their arses by The Poppies thanks to a thumping Fisher drive.

Pick that fooker out!!!

Hull picked themselves up for the remainder of the season, before losing in the Play-Off Semi-Final to Leyton Orient.  A couple of seasons later and Hull won back to back promotions and found themselves playing in an new 25,000 seater stadium in the Championship.  Since then they have been in the Premier League for 5-seasons and have never dipped lower than the second tier.

Not bad.  They've done ok for themselves since we knocked them out of the FA Cup.

Certainly better than every other Football League team we've beaten in the FA Cup during the past forty plus years.  Amazingly, Hull City are the ONLY Football League team we've knocked out of the Cup who haven't subsequently been forced to suckle at the flaccid teat of the Non-League game!

Think about it. 

Bristol Rovers
Halifax Town
Maidstone United
Lincoln City
Notts County
Hartlepool United

All slithered out of the Football League after being dumped out of the Cup by little old Kettering.  Maidstone suffering the double blow of going bust and being relegated!  Losing to the Poppies was such a momentous blow to their collective esteem that they didn't feel worthy to continue plying their trade at such an exalted level as the Football League.

Sh*t.  What does that say about us?