The 2012/13 season was a memorable one for Hull City fans, as Steve Bruce guided the club to promotion to the Premier League in his first season in charge.
Hull City’s 2012/13 pre-season started poorly, with most being saddened by the departure of club legend Nick Barmby, and particularly the way in which it was handled by the Allams, which left a bitter taste in the mouth.
Steve Bruce arrived with considerable pedigree though, and the big money signing of Nick Proschwitz twinned with the exciting recruit of free agent Sone Aluko had sparked some optimism around East Yorkshire.
That optimism was quickly justified, as the little-fancied Yorkshire outfit began their campaign with 4 wins from their first 6 games.
Steve Bruce won promotion in his first season as Hull City manager
It started to look like a season in which no-one wanted promotion towards the tail end of the campaign, as the top sides kept throwing away points.
Hull and Watford were the worst culprits, the Tigers failing to win any of their last 4 games, and the Hornets only 2 of their last 6.
Ultimately, Steve Bruce’s men clinched promotion in dramatic fashion following a nail-biting final day, having to wait 15 minutes to find out the result of Watford’s game against Leeds which assured their promotion.
Hull City fans celebrate their dramatic promotion to the Premier League
Three years on, the Hull City squad is barely recognisable, with only 4 players from that promotion still in Mike Phelan’s ranks. From Abdoulaye Faye to Jay Simpson, we take a look at where some of those Hull City heros are today:
David Stockdale
Unusual for a promotion season, Hull City did not have a settled goalkeeping choice for the 2012/13 campaign, but it was David Stockdale who played the majority of the games.
Three years on and the then-on-loan Tiger has done well for himself, becoming Brighton’s first choice shot stopper, with 94 appearances for the team in just two seasons.
Liam Rosenior
Liam Rosenior in action for his current club Brighton
A favourite among Hull City fans, Liam Rosenior was a fine servant to the club, and a man many people were sad to see depart.
A dependable and likable footballer capable of playing at either right or left back, Rosenior, like Stockdale, is now at Brighton, where he recently suffered a nasty injury.
James Chester
One of the finest defenders to ever play for the club, James Chester shouldn’t really be a Championship footballer, but finds himself there after a difficult season under Tony Pulis.
The classy centre-back is a Rolls-Royce of a defender, who can dispossess players cleanly and is comfortable on the ball, he joined Aston Villa from West Brom this summer.
Abdoulaye Faye
Abdoulaye Faye was a titan at the back during Hull City’s 2012/13 promotion campaign
The loveable Senegalese defender made a big impression at the KC(OM) Stadium, despite featuring essentially only in the 2012/13 campaign.
Faye stayed for Hull’s return to the Premier League, but didn’t feature, and joined Malaysian Premier League side Sabah FA following his release. He has since retired from playing.
Jack Hobbs
A key player alongside James Chester the previous season, Jack Hobbs was injured for much of the 2012/13 season, and replaced by Curtis Davies over the following summer.
A solid centre-back who is very well-suited to Championship football, the ex-England youth player is currently playing for Nottingham Forest.
Paul McShane
Hull City supporters really took to Paul McShane in 2012/13
A man whose career was given a new lease of life by Steve Bruce, his time at Hull City and possibly within the professional game looked to be over before the ex-Manchester United captain was appointed Hull manager.
McShane quickly emerged as a fan favourite in East Yorkshire, due to his unparalleled heart, desire and sheer bravery. A man willing to throw his face in front of a bus for his team, McShane is the current Reading FC captain.
Joe Dudgeon
The 2012/13 season was one which started with so much promise for Joe Dudgeon. He began the season as Steve Bruce’s first choice left back, making the assist in Hull’s first game of the season, a 1-0 win over Brighton.
After just 9 league games, the first of a series of nasty injuries in Dudgeon’s career began though. The defender failed to find another club following his release in 2015, and at the age of 25, he has already begun coaching at Manchester City.
Andy Dawson
Andy Dawson in his new role at Scunthorpe United
Into his mid-30’s at this time, the Hull City legend didn’t play much of a part in 2012/13, just 4 league games in fact.
He had his testimonial in 2012 and left the club in 2013 to rejoin former side Scunthorpe United, where he remains as a coach. Most Hull City fans would love to have Dawson back at the KCOM in some capacity one day.
Paul McKenna
Very much a Nigel Pearson signing, Paul McKenna made just 6 starts and 4 sub appearances early on in the season.
Quickly replaced by Steve Bruce, the former Nottingham Forest captain went on-loan to Fleetwood Town that season, before joining non-league side Bamber Bridge.
He retired in December 2015, but made a return to football in 2016, making a single appearance for Longridge Town, where he is currently a coach.
Corry Evans
Midfielder Corry Evans training alongside brother Jonny for Northern Ireland
Corry Evans was another player that some were very surprised to see shipped away from the KC Stadium so quickly.
A fairly regular fixture in Bruce’s promotion team, appearing in 33 games, he was sold to Blackburn following promotion, replaced by the likes of Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone. Now aged 26, Evans remains a Blackburn player.
Stephen Quinn
Former Hull City duo Robert Koren and Stephen Quinn
Stephen Quinn was a pivotal player for Hull City as they finished second in the Championship. He formed a fantastic partnership with Robbie Brady on the left of the pitch, with the two often combining to great effect.
A very tidy footballer, Quinn was excellent in a midfield three. He joined the Tigers from Sheffield United for a nominal fee and stayed in Hull for three years, before joining current club Reading in 2015 on a free transfer.
Robert Koren
One of the standout performers in Hull City’s 2012/13 Championship success was Robert Koren. The teams top scorer with 9 goals, Koren was a constant threat from midfield for the Tigers.
Player of the Year the previous season, the former Slovenia captain had four marvellous seasons in East Yorkshire, before heading down under and joining Melbourne City. He left Melbourne in January and is currently without a club.
Ahmed Elmohamady
Ahmed Elmohamady celebrating his second promotion to the Premier League with Hull City
One of few players here still at the club, Ahmed Elmohamady joined Hull City on-loan in the summer of 2012, before making that deal a permanent one from Sunderland in the summer of 2013.
His consistency and stamina convinced Steve Bruce to play a 3-5-2 formation for much of 2012/13, which suited the tireless Egyptian down to the ground.
Robbie Brady
Like Elmohamady, Robbie Brady joined Hull City first on-loan, before signing on a permanent basis from former club Manchester United.
The Republic of Ireland international proved to be a great signing for the Tigers. For four years he gave the club an excellent threat from the left of the pitch, before leaving for Norwich following Hull’s relegation in 2015.
George Boyd
George Boyd in action for current club Burnley
George Boyd was brought in from Peterborough on a loan deal with a view to a permanent. Hull were already in a favourable position, and Boyd’s arrival was intended to give them an edge in the promotion race.
So it proved, as the versatile and hard-working former Scotland international scored 4 goals in 13 games. He was sold in 2014 to Burnley, as Steve Bruce looked to bring his squad on.
David Meyler
One of the four players still at Hull City from that 2012/13 season, David Meyler was a real driving force in midfield as the club fought their way to the Premier League.
Following injury problems and a lack of regular game time at Sunderland, Meyler was a regular fixture for Bruce at Hull.
Sone Aluko
Sone Aluko now plays for Fulham
Only a recent departure, Sone Aluko remained at Hull City up until the summer just gone, when he joined high-flying Fulham on a free transfer.
The Nigerian international was one of the best players in the Championship and absolutely outstanding for Hull City in 2012, but an unfortunate injury limited him to just 23 appearances.
Nick Proschwitz
Hull City may have achieved promotion, but their big-money signing Nick Proschwitz did not prove to be the prolific talisman that they had hoped for.
The German arrived having been the top scorer in Germany’s Bundesliga 2., but struggled to replicate that form in the Championship, scoring just 3 goals in 29 games.
Proschwitz has turned out for 5 teams in the 2 years since leaving Hull, and is currently playing in the Belgian top flight with Sint-Truidense V.V.
Ahmed Fathy & Mohamed Nagy (Gedo)
Egyptian striker Gedo celebrates scoring for the Tigers
One couldn’t go through the players who appeared for Hull City in 2012/13 without mentioning their two Egyptian loanees Fathy and Gedo.
The two internationals with 138 caps between them played just 19 times for the club. Fathy looked like a good combative midfielder who could break up play effectively, but made a mistake away at Wolves and was never really given another chance.
Fellow Egyptian Ahmed Fathy
Gedo meanwhile was a real poacher. Quiet for long periods but a live wire in front of goal, he scored 5 goals in his first 6 games in the Championship before picking up an injury.
Both are still Egyptian internationals, and both are still under contract with Al Ahly. Fathy played briefly in Qatar, before returning to Egypt, whilst Gedo is currently on loan at Egyptian Premier League side El-Entag El-Harby SC.
Jay Simpson
Jay Simpson in action for the Tigers
A regular up front for Hull City in 2012/13, Jay Simpson was far from prolific, but he still played a useful role holding up the ball and bringing people into the game.
He left on a free the summer in which Hull won promotion, and following a season in Thailand, he returned to England in 2014 with Leyton Orient. He was the second highest scorer in League Two last season with 25 goals.
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Other players who featured for Hull City during the 2012/13 campaign include Eldin Jakupovic, Cameron Stewart, Aaron McLean, Matty Fryatt, Mark Oxley, Tom Cairney, Seyi Olofinjana, Liam Cooper, Jamie Devitt, Mark Cullen, Ben Amos, Alex Bruce, and Conor Townsend.
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