NICK Proschwitz delivered a wonderful reminder of his finishing ability as he single-handedly inspired Hull City reserves to a 4-0 win over Rotherham United last night. In a fixture that offered Yannick Sagbo the stage to shine following his three-game ban, it was fellow striker Proschwitz who instead stole the show with four second-half goals at North Ferriby.
After opening the scoring with a firm header 11 minutes after the break, the German completed a breathless 13-minute hat-trick with a neat turn and finish and a close-range tap-in. His fourth, an unstoppable drive from the edge of the area, was the pick of an eye-catching collection.
It will take more to convince Steve Bruce that Proschwitz deserves a Premier League debut but in a squad short on attacking conviction, last summer's £2.6m signing from Paderborn emphatically signalled he is unwilling to give up the fight for a place. City's fourth reserves game of the season was a marked break from modern tradition.
A starting XI that boasted almost 200 first-team appearances for the club included five survivors of the Championship promotion season, as well as the returning Sagbo. Against a Rotherham side placing its faith instead in youth, City dominated from the outset.
A front pairing of Sagbo and Proschwitz, supplemented by the withdrawn Matty Fryatt, formed a £5.4m attack and posed a threat unprecedented at Central League level. Rotherham, predictably, were asked to do the bulk of the defending all night long.
Conor Henderson, the trialist formerly of Arsenal, came close with a sweet strike wide from distance, while Proschwitz's wayward chip began training his sights. David Meyler, hungry to work his way back ahead of Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore in Bruce's midfield, was another to threaten.
A firm drive from the edge of the box was only parried downward by Tony Thompson in the Millers' goal but he bravely reclaimed the loose ball ahead of James Armstrong.
Although Rotherham struggled to give Alex Bruce and Abdoulaye Faye reason to sweat in defence, their resilience was excellent. Faye, climbing highest to meet a corner, learned that to his frustration when denied by Thompson.
Rotherham made it to the break on level terms but that owed plenty to good fortune in the closing minutes of the first half. Proschwitz's header was cleared off the line before play was kept alive with a high ball aimed at Thompson. The keeper dropped a routine save at Sagbo's feet but somehow blocked the shot. Fortune was Thompson's undoubted ally.
That expired 11 minutes into the second half as City broke through. Sam Topliss sent in the cross and Proschwitz began his purple patch with a header into the top corner.
On 62 minutes Proschwitz turned inside the area and shot low past Thompson before a loose ball was hooked in from four yards out for the hat-trick seven minutes later. Still he refused to put his cue on the rack and Proschwitz made it 4-0 soon after. Riding challenges on the edge of the Rotherham box, he dispatched an unstoppable drive into the corner to add the gloss to a terrific night.HULL CITY: Joe Cracknell, Sam Topliss, Max Clark, Alex Bruce, Abdoulaye Faye, James Armstrong (Dougie Wilson 76), David Meyler (Matty Dixon 59), Conor Henderson, Nick Proschwitz, Matty Fryatt, Yannick Sagbo (Matthew Fletcher 59); Subs: Rory Watson, Will Aimson, Paul McElroy, Danny Chambers.ROTHERHAM: Tony Thompson, Reece Lucas, Connor Johnson, Harley Wigley, Max Hallett, Brad Sowerby, James Cadman, Ally Watson, Andy Norfolk, Callum Burleigh, Nicholas Walker; Subs: Charlie Bryan, Connor Bell, Jerry Yates, Alex Wiles, Jake Fenton.
• Bruce delighted as Hull City welcome back Yannick Sagbo
