Humble Hull living through halcyon days

On 25 October 1998, Hull City AFC were rooted to the foot of the bottom tier of English professional football. Ten years on, after a fourth consecutive win, they peer down on the European champions from third place in the Premier League.

Possible extinction
The stark contrast between the Tigers of yesteryear and those of today is as great as at any football team in the country. Hull were at the mercy of winding-up orders in the mid-1990s and even at the start of this decade they were locked out of their old Boothferry Park home as the club faced the possibility of liquidation. However, since they survived relegation late in the 1998/99 season, a feat described by supporters as 'The Great Escape', the rise of the east-Yorkshire side has been meteoric.

Three promotions
Under former England Under-21 manager Peter Taylor, Hull won back-to-back promotions in their first two full seasons at their new KC Stadium and, three terms later, led by current boss Phil Brown, they made the final step into the Premier League. Pundits were almost unanimous in tipping them to remain in the élite for no more than a single campaign, particularly after a 5-0 defeat by Wigan Athletic FC in their second top-flight home game.

Away successes
Yet, following Saturday's 3-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion FC, they have won four successive Premier League matches and their last four away games in the division – no mean achievement given the trips have been to Newcastle United FC, Arsenal FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC and West Brom. They have lost just once and are five points above English and European champions Manchester United FC.

Second spell
The immense hunger of their players is one of the reasons for their astonishing sequence of results, with a number of Brown's men having climbed the divisions as rapidly as the team they represent. Nobody epitomises their spirit better than 39-year-old striker Dean Windass, who left the Tigers in 1995 because of their financial plight but returned to score the goal in the play-off final that took them into the Premier League 13 years later. "I'm not a legend – I don't like that word," he said. "I'm just a footballer who gets paid a lot of money to do what I enjoy."

Enjoyable times
Striker Marlon King is another who has known more modest surroundings, having also stared relegation from the fourth tier in the face during that 1998/99 campaign with Barnet FC. "We're not getting carried away with ourselves but why not enjoy it while we're up there?" said the 28-year-old Jamaican. "It's new to everybody at the club. You have to work hard for each other, give 100 per cent and try to grind out results. We've got Chelsea [FC] on Wednesday and Manchester United next Saturday so the tough games keep coming." Given events of the last decade, the matches can arguably not come quick enough for Hull.