Hull 1 Crystal Palace 2: Hudson fires Palace

Their respective fortunes were replicated inside the first 25 minutes, with the visitors taking a two-goal lead and looking set for a comfortable afternoon. First, Darren Ward slotted in a rebound after Bo Myhill blocked Mark Hudson’s header and then Leon Cort crashed the ball into his own net as he attempted to clear a whipped-in cross from Wayne Andrews.

Although debutant John Parkin halved the arrears almost immediately by going past a static defence to slide the ball beyond a stranded Gabor Kiraly, it always looked nothing more than consolation.

Despite some sporadic and spirited resistance, Hull rarely threatened to gain parity with the visitors. The introduction of five substitutes did little to add to the fluidity of both sides’ play and most of the second half was played out with few opportunities to add to the scoresheet.