Tim Walter lays down challenge to in-form Hull City after Cardiff City rout
Tim Walter hailed the performance of his Hull City side after they came from a goal down to thrash bottom side Cardiff City 4-1 to notch up a first home win. The Tigers head coach has also challenged his side to get a run going in front of their own fans.
The victory was particularly special given it came as the club celebrated its 120th birthday, though it looked like the Bluebirds would be the stereotypical party poopers when they took an 18th-minute lead through Callum Robinson, a goal Walter felt should have been chalked off through offside.
Within four minutes, the Tigers were level when Mohamed Belloumi angled in a curling cross and a little over 10 minutes later, it was 2-1 when the Algerian latched onto a Marvin Mehlem pass to expertly clip over Jak Alnwick, the Bluebirds' Man of the Match.
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Oscar Zambrano's deflected finish made it 3-1 at the start of the second half and the rout was complete in the final minute when Chris Bedia converted from the penalty spot after substitute Abu Kamara was sent sprawling following a mad challenge, backing up last week's 3-1 win at Stoke City.
"Yeah (I'm pleased), not only with the result but also with the performance with the celebrations with our fans because we showed that we can win at home and it's good," Walter told Hull Live. "Everybody is happy about the celebrations about the win, and so we have to do it even more, but for today, it was a good win.
"Every time, winning is better than losing, so we don't have to talk about the birthdays or celebrations, it's even better if you win games, especially on such days. For me, there's no excuse for losing."
The win is Walter's first at the MKM Stadium and just City's third in 2024, and coming on such a special occasion only adds to the sense of delight. But it started badly when Robinson slammed the visitors in front with just their second league goal of the season, one he felt was offside.
"If you see the pictures, then it's offside, but we have to accept it because as long as we don't have VAR, it's like it is and we have to accept it," he said.
"How we showed it again, like, last week, we showed that we can win games and that we stick together and show the mentality that I tried to bring to them. They showed the will to win in an impressive way, so I'm happy about our mentality and how they stuck together, how they celebrated together with the fans, especially our goals which is good."
Cardiff were not without their own chances and City were indebted to Ivor Pandur for keeping them two in front, while Walter felt his side could have been more clinical at the other end.
"In the second half, we could have scored a bit more, but we could also concede two goals more, and that's what we have to learn out of this situation that we have to defend more straight, hard and more aggressive, and that we have to be more clinical, especially in the offence," he said.
The German was also full of praise for skipper Lewie Coyle, who notched up his 150th appearance for the club and delivered another terrific display.
"He's top," Walter said of Coyle. "He's a really good lad, he's a good captain and he tried to keep everything together. I am really happy to have him, we have really a close relationship, and it's good to have such a boy in our squad. I'm really happy, and I hope he will do 150 more appearances for the club, so congratulations to him."