Hull City get set for Wembley showdown as they eye Premier League return

Hull City are on game away from a return to the Premier League with captain Lewie Coyle relishing the chance to lead the team back and do his late father proud.

Chris Coyle was a well-known figure in the city, having run a long-established fruit and veg stall before his sudden death in June 2022.

Lewie, whose brothers Tommy, Joe and Rocco are all professional sportsmen, will be making his first appearance at Wembley in Saturday’s play-off final against Middlesbrough, and sees it as the perfect opportunity to show his gratitude to his inspirational dad.

“He’d be proud. I want to share this with him, wherever he is, if he is looking down – I’m sure he is. That’s what I sort of cling onto,” he said.

“You can probably see how uncomfortable I get thinking about it, but it’s just my way of honouring him. I have absolutely everything to thank him for, and I owe him absolutely everything. I think this (play-off final) will probably be the closest chance I have to finally be able to say ‘thank you’ and honour him.”

The Coyle family will be at Wembley giving Lewie their backing, except for professional golfer Joe, who is on what Lewie described as a “bucket list” golfing trip.

“I can’t be angry with him (about it),” Coyle said.

“If I wasn’t at Wembley, I’d be there with him. Everyone will be there, all my loved ones, and that’s the sort of really, really nice thing for me, to be able to share it with the ones that are there for you, no matter what.

“Football, and sport in general, can be a very up-and-down industry, so the ones that are there for you, day in, day out, no matter what, that’s what it’s about for me.”

Coyle’s moving words serve as an antidote to the unedifying backdrop to this match, which has been overshadowed by Southampton’s expulsion for spying on other teams’ training sessions.

Since beating Millwall in their semi-final second leg on May 11, Hull have had no certainty over who they would face at Wembley on Saturday, or even whether an appeal might force the final to be postponed.

Coyle said the Tigers squad had “let all the noise and distractions look after themselves”.

“We have no control over it, we just stay focused,” he said.

“Full focus to the game on Saturday, and we’ve got a chance to realise our dreams. There are no excuses on our end, there never will be. I wouldn’t allow that.”

Hull will be without Kyle Joseph, whose ankle injury will rule him out until pre-season. Tigers manager Sergej Jakirovic said full-back Cody Drameh and midfielder Amir Hadziahmetovic were back in training and available.