Hull City have had a mixture of turkeys and crackers over the Christmas fixtures. Philip Buckingham looks back over the last ten years.Hull City's Christmas record in the last decade.
Played: 40. Won: 14. Drawn: 10. Lost: 162013-14
December 21: West Brom 1 Hull City 1
December 26: Hull City 2 Manchester United 3
December 28: Hull City 6 Fulham 0
January 1: Liverpool 2 Hull City 0
Hull City would eventually run out of steam when conquered 2-0 at Liverpool on New Year's Day but, in the circumstances, it was still a decent Festive programme for Steve Bruce and his side. A 1-1 draw at West Brom should have been a win when conceding late on, while Manchester United fought back from 2-0 down to clinch a 3-2 win on Boxing Day, but the 6-0 demolition of Fulham two days later will live long in the memory. That result took City to the halfway point of the season with an impressive 23 points on the board.2012-13
December 21: Derby 1 Hull City 2
December 26: Hull City 0 Leicester City 0
December 28: Hull City 2 Leeds United 0
January 1: Blackpool 0 Hull City 0
Just like the promotion year of 2007-08, an unbeaten festive programme five years on helped fuel another push towards the Premier League. A Friday night win at Derby County was the start of it all when moving into the top-two before City were frustrated in a goal-less stalemate at home to former boss Nigel Pearson and Leicester. That was all soon forgotten when City trounced Leeds in front of a capacity crowd and not even another 0-0 draw, this time at Blackpool, could stifle a party mood. The Tigers were on the march.2011-12
December 17: Hull City 2 Millwall 0
December 26: Middlesbrough 2 Hull City 0
December 31: Burnley 1 Hull City 0
January 2: Hull City 0 Derby County 1
The tenure of Nick Barmby had promised so much during his first weeks and a 2-0 win at home to Millwall was the fourth victory on the bounce. However, it was after Christmas that the optimism began to fade away with a run of three consecutive losses. A 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough on Boxing Day was one to forget, as was the 1-0 reverse at Burnley on New Year's Eve. It failed to improve when losing again to Derby County 48 hours later and conclusions were then drawn that a push for the top six might be beyond City in that season.2010-11
December 18: Hull City 2 Bristol City 0
December 26: Sheffield United 2 Hull City 3
December 28: Hull City 1 Reading 1
January 1: Hull City 0 Leicester City 1
The Hull City renaissance first began over the festive programme of 2010-11. Under new owners Assem and Ehab Allam, who had completed their takeover in the days that led up to a home win over Bristol City, there was a Boxing Day to remember when snatching a dramatic win at Sheffield United thanks to Jimmy Bullard's late winner. A decent draw at home to Reading followed before Leicester inflicted the first loss of the Allam era but there was little doubt the Tigers were on their way up the Championship with fresh impetus. 2009-10
December 19: Arsenal 3 Hull City 0
December 27: Hull City 1 Manchester United 3
December 29: Bolton 2 Hull City 2
January 2: Wigan 4 Hull City 1 (FA Cup)
Phil Brown's side performed better than their results suggested over the Christmas spell of 2009-10 but a winless run did not bode well for what would follow in the New Year. City could hold their heads up high when beaten by impressive Arsenal and Manchester United sides and left the happier side when Stephen Hunt's double earned a comeback to draw 2-2 at Bolton. A heavy FA Cup defeat at Wigan began 2010 and City would win just one of their next 10 games. Relegation, perhaps inevitably, followed on the season's penultimate weekend.2008-09
December 20: Hull City 1 Sunderland 4
December 26: Manchester City 5 Hull City 1
December 28: Hull City 0 Aston Villa 1
January 3: Hull City 0 Newcastle United 0 (FA Cup)
The wheels began to fall off City's season during their first festive campaign in the Premier League. Despite breathing in the air of the top half all season, three straight defeats soon brought that lofty position under threat. A heavy home defeat to Steve Bruce's Sunderland was followed up a watershed moment at Manchester City, scene of Phil Brown's infamous half-time team-talk. A controversial loss at home to Aston Villa summed up City's fading fortune in the final fixture of 2008 and signalled the start of a fight against relegation.2007-08
December 22: Charlton 1 Hull City 1
December 26: Hull City 2 Wolves 1
December 28: Hull City 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0
January 1: Stoke City 1 Hull City 1
An unbeaten festive campaign in 2007-08 pointed cautiously towards a successful that would climax with promotion in the Championship play-offs. City's season was bubbling to the boil seven years ago and manager Phil Brown could be satisfied with the eight points gathered over Christmas. Bookended by draws away to Charlton and Stoke, the impressive home wins over Wolves and Sheffield Wednesday got the KC Stadium believing anything was possible. So it proved five months later when the club burst through its glass ceiling and into the top-flight.2006-07
December 23: Leeds 0 Hull City 0
December 26: Hull City 1 Leicester City 2
December 30: Hull City 2 Burnley 0
January 1: Sheffield Wednesday 1 Hull City 2
Not only was the festive campaign key to breathing life into Hull City's season in 2006-07, it was also the period that earned caretaker Phil Brown the manager's job. With City fighting tooth and nail at the foot of the Championship following a disastrous spell under Phil Parkinson, the revival began in earnest that December. A creditable point away to Leeds was followed up by a flat defeat at home to Leicester but back-to-back wins over Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday were enough to convince the City board that Brown was the man to lead an eventual charge to safety.2005-06
December 26: Crewe 2 Hull City 2
December 28: Hull City 2 Ipswich 0
December 31: Leeds United 2 Hull City 0
January 3: Hull City 1 Sheffield United 3
A first season back in the Championship was proving to be a long, hard slog for Peter Taylor's men and their festive campaign was no different. An entertaining draw at Crewe, including a spectacular goal for Billy Paynter, was followed up by a precious win over Ipswich. Hopes of climbing well clear of trouble were soon dashed, though, with back-to-back defeats against Leeds United and Sheffield United taking City into the New Year. That festive programme was a microcosm of the season; slow but steady progress.2004-05
December 26: Blackpool 0 Hull City 2
December 29: Hull City 2 Doncaster Rovers 1
January 1: Hull City 2 Huddersfield Town 1
January 3: Stockport County 1 Hull City 3
The perfect, flawless Christmas for Peter Taylor's unstoppable side. After five consecutive wins had propelled them up the League One table, there was no let-up over their busiest spell. After Stuart Elliott's brace earned a Boxing Day win at Blackpool, Yorkshire rivals Doncaster and Huddersfield were both edged out back at the KC Stadium. Another away win at Stockport County made it nine wins on the bounce and although form then stuttered, the dazzling end to 2004 was the springboard for automatic promotion at the end of the campaign.
