It may have become commonplace for managers to push the FA Cup toward the bottom of their list of priorities, but rarely can so many sweeping changes to a side have had such a galvanising effect in the competition. Hull City, a Premier League club until last May, sit fourth from bottom in the Championship. So, with more than half an eye on Tuesday’s derby with Leeds United, their manager, Nigel Adkins, made eight changes.
To say the players who came in gave him food for thought was an understatement. The beaten 2014 FA Cup finalists were excellent in the first half and thoroughly deserved the two-goal lead given to them by Jarrod Bowen and Nouha Dicko.
Nottingham Forest were a shadow of the side who knocked out Arsenal in the third round and ended Championship leaders Wolves’ 13-match unbeaten run the week before. Forest were booed off at the break by the sold-out 4,000-strong travelling support.
Hull fans were not entirely happy, either. Calls for the removal of the club’s owners, Assem and Ehab Allam, could still be heard. But this was a rare good day to be a Tiger and, while Apostolos Vellios, a Forest substitute, frayed a few nerves by halving the deficit late on, their team were worthy winners.
Play like this and Hull, despite their off-field troubles, should survive, especially if they can keep hold of the in-demand Bowen. The Tigers’ top scorer hit a post in the 17th minute after Jordan Smith, the Forest goalkeeper, made a hash of a clearance. However, he was not to be denied 60 seconds later.
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Bowen ran at the backtracking defence with gusto before shooting in off the bar with the aid of a deflection off Michael Mancienne. Hull wanted it more and that was underlined by their second goal in the 40th minute.
Jackson Irvine put over a cross to the back post and Bowen showed more desire to beat his marker and divert the ball back to Dicko, who did the same to head past Smith with the help of a post.
Forest were spared further embarrassment when Mancienne, their captain, cleared off the line from Adama Diomande.
Unsurprisingly, Aitor Karanka made a double substitution at the interval and his team improved. Kieran Dowell, the promising on-loan Everton midfielder, and Ben Brereton rattled the woodwork either side of David Marshall making a fingertip save from Joe Worrall.
They had to wait until the 88th minute to make the breakthrough as Vellios volleyed in a terrific cross from Matty Cash. By that stage, the Tigers should have been out of sight, Smith denying Dicko, Bowen and substitute Will Keane.
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Star man: Jarrod Bowen (Hull City)
team line-ups
Nottingham Forest: Smith 6, Lichaj 6, Worrall 6, Mancienne 6, Fox 5, Carayol 5 (Clough h-t, 6 ) Bouchalakis 4 (Vaughan h-t, 6 ), Cash 6, Osborn 6, Dowell 7, Brereton 5 (Vellios 80min, 7) Substitutes: Mills, McKay, Darikwa, Henderson