Robert Bozenik’s first goal for Stoke City, followed by a frantic finale in 17 minutes of added time, proved enough to secure a 1-0 Championship win over promotion-chasing Hull City at the MKM Stadium. The Slovak striker struck in the 39th minute from a Lamine Cisse cross before later suffering a serious shoulder injury that overshadowed a scrappy, stop-start game in which Hull twice hit the woodwork and debutant goalkeeper Tommy Simkin held firm for the visitors.
Stoke, who had arrived with only one win from six league matches, looked the sharper and more controlled side against a Hull team that began the day in fourth place and just two points off the automatic promotion spots. The result ended Hull’s five-game unbeaten run and lifted Mark Robins’ men to ninth on 37 points, three adrift of the play-off places, while also extending Stoke’s run of victories at the MKM Stadium to five successive seasons.
Fine Margins Early On as Both Sides Test the Frame
After a quiet opening quarter of an hour, Stoke fashioned the first clear opening through the combination that would later decide the contest. In the 18th minute Bozenik, teed up by Cisse in a central position outside the box, curled a goalbound effort that forced Ivor Pandur into a smart save. It was an early sign of the threat Stoke carried whenever they were able to move the ball quickly on a pitch Robins later described as far from ideal.