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Hull closer to Premier League return after Millwall win
Press Association • May 12th, 2026 11:00 am
Ex-Leeds forward Joe Gelhardt has helped fire the Tigers closer to the Premier League | Photo: Gary Day/AAP
Substitutes Mohamed Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt have ended Millwall's Premier League dream as Hull City reached the Championship play-off final.
The duo climbed off the bench on Monday (Tuesday NZ time) to secure a 2-0 win in south London to book a Wembley Stadium date with either Middlesbrough or Southampton a week on Saturday.
The Tigers only sneaked into the playoffs on the final day in sixth place and looked like big underdogs to get through after a goalless home leg.
But now they will bid to emulate the Dean Windass-inspired side of 2008 and Mohamed Diame's class of 2016, by sealing a return to the top flight for the first time in nine years.
"Incredible," City captain Lewie Coyle told Sky Sports.
"It's something we all believed we could do when we finalised the playoff spot on the last day in such dramatic fashion.
"And then we said, 'why shouldn't it be us'?"
A sold-out, snarling Den is a unique, intimidating place and this was its biggest game since they reached the same stage in 2002.
But Hull were on the front foot early on and Charlie Hughes forced a save from Lions goalkeeper Anthony Patterson with a far-post header.
Thierno Ballo saw an effort hacked off the line before Femi Azeez's angled drive was beaten away by Hull keeper Ivor Pandur.
The Tigers gathered themselves and John Egan headed a Liam Millar cross just too high, before Oli McBurnie had a header tipped over by Patterson and a stab at goal hacked off the line by Tristan Crama.
The breakthrough arrived in the 64th minute when Matt Crooks found Belloumi in acres of space out on the right.
The Algerian had time to cut inside on his right foot before curling a superb effort inside the far post.
The tie was wrapped up, and the Wembley coaches booked, when Belloumi fed Gelhardt, who had only been on for two minutes but held his nerve to beat Patterson and send the away end wild.
For Millwall fans, the only consolation is that their historic rivals West Ham United look increasingly like joining them in the Championship next season.
"We didn't do enough," said devastated Lions boss Alex Neil.
"You have to give Hull credit for defending well, but as an attacking force we didn't have enough across the 90 minutes."
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