HULL City are four points clear of Watford in the Premier League promotion race tonight after a 1-0 win at the John Smith's Stadium.Scroll down for updates and first-half report. Philip Buckingham's match report will follow shortly.Half-time report
Steve Bruce will lose midfielder David Meyler for the next two games after he picked up a yellow card in a scrappy first half at Huddersfield.
City had looked the most promising going forward but an awful pitch and poor possession by both sides led to limited chances.
And two City players, Elmohamady and Meyler, were booked as the players struggled to control the ball.
Meyler, who had been warned by City manager Steve Bruce about the ban threat before the game, was booked despite pleas to referee Darren Deadman.
City dominated the first passages of play with Elmohamady on the right and Koren drifting left providing decent crosses into the Huddersfield box.
On six minutes a long cross by Koren was knocked back across goal by Meyler to be met on the volley by a busy Simpson whose strong shot was saved by Alex Smithies.
Huddersfield were guilty of giving away cheap possession and struggled to make an impact in the early stages. Neil Danns looked Town's most lively player but his forays forward were easily dealt with by City's backline of Chester, Hobbs and Faye protected by a deep lying Alex Bruce in midfield.
David Stockdale was tested on 19 minutes though and looking assured to take a shot from Town's James Vaughan from the edge of the box.
With Huddersfield threatening more as the game turned scrappy, City looked to Elmohamady to open up chances and on 22 minutes Simpson just failed to connect with an excellent cross from the Egyptian winger.
On 31 minutes Bruce tried to release Simpson through the middle but the City striker was flagged for being a couple of yards offside.
The best chance of the match fell on 35 minutes when former City defender Anthony Gerrard managed to scrape the ball clear of the goal line after Koren burst through the Town defence to latch on to a Boyd pass and drill a cross into the box.
Elmohamady was booked on 38 minutes after catching James Vaughan with a lazy tackle as he tracked back but Town couldn't capitalise from the set piece.
Meyler picked up his yellow card two minutes later for a challenge on Oscar Gobern as the ball bobbled on the poor pitch. Meyler pleas that it was his first offence fell on deaf ears. The booking rules Meyler out of City's next two games with Watford and Middlesbrough.
In injury time Brady fired a promising free kick high and wide to end the first half.Second-half updatesPress F5 for updates - latest at the top. Tweet pictures to @thisihull or email paul.johnson@localworld.co.uk
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