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Football

Hull City

vs Preston North End. Sky Bet Championship.

7: 45pm, Tuesday 30th September 2025.

MKM Stadium Attendance: Attendance18, 624.

Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Hull City and Preston North End at the MKM Stadium on Tuesday night; Oli Mc Burnie scores twice as Tigers battle back for a point. Tuesday 30 September 2025 23: 01, UK Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Preston missed the chance to move up to second in the Sky Bet Championship after squandering a 2-0 lead at Hull to draw 2-2 following Oli Mc Burnie's second-half brace. The Lilywhites avoided relegation by a single point last season but they have been the early surprise package in this campaign and went two up inside 10 minutes through Thierry Small and Michael Smith. Hull, who stayed up last season on goal difference alone, were rejuvenated after the break following three half-time substitutions and the in-form Mc Burnie's double saw the spoils shared. Mc Burnie now has six goals this season and his efforts, both from low crosses by Ryan Giles, stopped Preston from moving behind only Middlesbrough in the table after those above them also dropped points. They remain sixth after blowing a clear advantage, all the more surprising given their early success has been shaped by a parsimonious defence which had conceded five goals in their previous seven games. They had scored on just seven occasions in that time but two more were quickly added to the tally, with Small putting Paul Heckingbottom's side in front after just three minutes at the MKM Stadium. Alfie Devine's inswinging corner created havoc and Lewie Coyle was only able to head as far as Small, who took a touch with his left then speared a shot across Ivor Pandur and into the far corner.

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Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Pandur might not have been able to do much about Small's effort but he was culpable for Preston's second, dithering on the ball before hastily clearing only as far as Ben Whiteman. All was not lost but Hull's flat-footed defenders allowed Whiteman to drift to the edge of the box and pass sideways to Smith, who picked his spot low past a stationary Pandur. Hull gradually improved but frequent misplaced passes brought groans in the stands, as did Kasey Palmer failing to clear the first man at a corner before he later fired a free-kick straight into the wall. With Hull booed off at the break, Sergej Jakirovic sent on Regan Slater, Joe Gelhardt and Liam Millar and they charged out of the traps as Preston had done earlier. They halved the deficit with their first shot on target, Mc Burnie bagging his fourth goal in four matches after controlling Giles' low cross before dispatching beyond Daniel Iversen after 48 minutes. Gelhardt, whose two penalties secured a crucial 2-1 win over North End in April, saw a swirling 25-yard free-kick punched out by Iversen as Hull, now roared on by the crowd, sought a leveller. Millar, making his first appearance since October 23 last year, had a shot deflect wide while Devine missed a glorious chance to restore Preston's two-goal cushion when he rifled over from close range. It was a costly miss as Mc Burnie levelled in the 74th minute. Giles was once again the provider with another teasing low cross from the left wing to the striker, who fired high into the net. Hull, who move up to 16th, might have won it at the death but John Lundstram's 25-yard piledriver was clawed away by Iversen, diving at full stretch. Hull City's Sergej Jakirovic: "We made too many mistakes. We struggled until half-time with basic things (such as) passing, we lost the ball very easily, we didn't do anything, especially in duels, they were much stronger than us. "(The message at half-time was) to never surrender because when you are behind 2-0, one goal will change everything - their reaction was perfect. "We are very happy because we have Oli. I have said a couple of times he is a fighter and truly a leader. " Preston's Paul Heckingbottom: "It shows how far we've come but how far we've still got to go if we want to be a serious team. "As well as we've been defending, those two moments have killed us. I'd give our defenders that situation to deal with 99 times out of a hundred and they'd get it right. "We know it's their threat. We've been fantastic at dealing with those situations and it's been no fluke because we work hard at it, that's why it's so disappointing to get undone by it. "Oli will score but he didn't have to do much, Ryan got him the goals. If you put the ball in the six-yard box, he'll score. "There's so many positives but the big, big negative is we've not won the game. The fact we're all frustrated is a good sign. " The £250, 000 is up for grabs with Super 6, and as always it is completely free to play. Entries by 3pm Saturday.

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