Hull boss McCann delighted by young Tigers in cup win over Tranmere

Posted Wednesday, August 14, 2019 by PA

Grant McCann was satisfied with the performance of his young Hull side after they cruised into the second round of the Carabao Cup with a 3-0 victory over Tranmere at Prenton Park.

City were two goals up inside six minutes, through Jon Toral and David Milinkovic before Ryan Tafazolli added a third before half time.

Rovers typically responded after the break but could not fashion a goal, leaving Tigers boss McCann pleased with the outcome.

He said: “We were outstanding for large periods of the game. To go 3-0 up – we were really comfortable in the first half.

“Second half was a bit difficult. There was going to be a reaction from Tranmere. I touched on it in the week, they’ve got a real winning mentality here, especially at Prenton Park. They’re strong and hard to beat.

“We probably saw a bit of that in the second from Tranmere when they tried to force us back a bit. We couldn’t really get to grips with it at times but I think the first half performance has won us the game very easily.”

Hull led after only 19 seconds when Brandon Fleming’s lovely cross was headed home by Toral from close range before Milinkovic bundle home to make it 2-0.

Hull notched a third a minute before the break when Tafazolli headed home a Milinkovic corner from inside the six-yard box.

Tranmere boss Micky Mellon conceded that his side must start matches better.

He said: “We don’t start the game at all well. At the minute, we have to fight harder for the nil.

“I’ve got to keep working hard with us defensively in order to try and keep that nil for longer to give us a chance.

“You saw what an attacking threat we can be going forward. We have the quality. But you’ve got to get the nil. We’ve lost too many goals from set plays. But my finger’s on what we need to get better at.”