Viduka Crushed Hull Hopes!

The Barclays Premiership side looked to be cruising when Aiyegbeni Yakubu's penalty put them 3-0 ahead after debutant Seb Hines and Mark Viduka had scored either side of half-time.

However, an Andy Dawson header gave the Coca-Cola Championship outfit a lifeline and Jon Parkin's 62nd-minute penalty rekindled their belief.

Viduka's second of the night two minutes later looked to have sealed the replay for the home side once again, but Dawson's superb 69th-minute free-kick - a sixth goal inside 21 second-half minutes - ensured a nail-biting finish.

Boro secured two astonishing 4-3 home victories on their way to last season's UEFA Cup final, but it was they who were left hanging on to claim a trip to Bristol City in the next round as Phil Brown's men staged an all-out assault in front of a crowd of 16,702.

The fact Boro were facing a replay in the first place was largely down to their own failings after they squandered a host of opportunities to win the tie at the KC Stadium.

However, if Hull arrived on Teesside with nothing to lose, they soon discovered Gareth Southgate's men were in no mood to be charitable a second time, at least before the break.

The Tigers announced themselves with a flurry, muscular striker Parkin embarrassing Mark Schwarzer by reaching a third-minute cross marginally before the Australian, although he was unable to direct his header at goal.

However, the remainder of the first half belonged to the home side as they pinned their Coca-Cola Championship rivals back inside their own half and rarely looked like allowing their stranglehold to slip.

They might have gone in front with just six minutes gone when Stewart Downing and Hines combined to set up Julio Arca, whose left-foot shot clipped the outside of the post with keeper Boaz Myhill beaten.

Full-back Dawson was mightily relieved three minutes later when his attempt to chest a James Morrison cross back to Myhill was rather too heavy, but dropped wide of the post.

However, central defender Damien Delaney's intervention was more sure-footed on 14 minutes when he reacted swiftly to block Viduka's shot after Downing had rounded the advancing keeper way outside his penalty area from Arca's astute pass.

Morrison volleyed weakly at Myhill as Boro continued to dominate despite City's brave resistance, and as Downing failed to make the most of a series of chances to deliver the ball into the danger area, Hull's confidence grew.

But it took rookie Hines to break the deadlock 13 minutes before the break, accepting Arca's pass inside his own half and combining with England winger Downing before drilling a low right-foot shot past the keeper and into the back of the net.

Boro might have wrapped up the victory before the break, Downing seeing a long-range effort deflected just wide with Myhill stranded and Viduka twice going close as the whistle approached, and Brown will have been pleased to get his side back into the dressing room with at least some hope of a fightback.

The Tigers re-emerged ready to scrap for a lifeline, but the tie looked to be over within three minutes when Morrison's strike came back off the foot of the post and Viduka gleefully smashed the rebound into the roof of the net.

Dean Marney dragged a long-range effort just wide on 50 minutes, but as he headed back towards the halfway line, he knew the game was slipping away.

However, few inside the Riverside Stadium could have expected what was to follow in a dramatic 10-minute period.

Dawson's glancing 59th-minute header looked little more than a consolation strike until Abel Xavier upended Nicky Forster inside the box and Parkin calmly converted from the spot three minutes later.

The cheers of the travelling fans died in their throats when Viduka restored his side's two-goal advantage with a venomous right-foot shot, but that was not the end of it.

Dawson ensured a rousing finish with a superb 69th-minute free-kick - a sixth goal inside 21 incident-packed minutes - as a game which had looked to be over went right to the final whistle.

Substitute Ryan France might have taken the tie to extra-time from Nicky Forster's 86th-minute lay-off, but lifted his shot over the bar to let Boro off the hook.

But it took a perfectly-timed challenge by Lee Cattermole to deny France an equaliser in injury time after Forster had pulled the ball back from the right.

BORO v HULL POST WAR

2008/2009 Sat 06 Dec Hull City 2 - 1 Middlesbrough Premier League
2006/2007 Tue 16 Jan Middlesbrough 4 - 3 Hull City F.A. Cup
Sat 06 Jan Hull City 1 - 1 Middlesbrough F.A. Cup
1990/1991 Sat 02 Mar Hull City 0 - 0 Middlesbrough Second Division
Sat 01 Dec Middlesbrough 3 - 0 Hull City Second Division
Tue 20 Nov Middlesbrough 3 - 1 Hull City (Full Members)
after extra time, 90 minutes 1-1
1989/1990 Sat 10 Mar Hull City 0 - 0 Middlesbrough Second Division
Wed 27 Sep Middlesbrough 1 - 0 Hull City Second Division
1987/1988 Mon 04 Apr Hull City 0 - 0 Middlesbrough Second Division
Sat 14 Nov Middlesbrough 1 - 0 Hull City Second Division
1985/1986 Sat 22 Mar Middlesbrough 1 - 2 Hull City Second Division
Tue 05 Nov Hull City 3 - 1 Middlesbrough (Full Members)
after extra time, 90 minutes ?-?
Sat 07 Sep Hull City 0 - 0 Middlesbrough Second Division
1973/1974 Sat 16 Feb Hull City 1 - 3 Middlesbrough Second Division
Sat 13 Oct Middlesbrough 1 - 0 Hull City Second Division
1972/1973 Tue 26 Dec Hull City 3 - 1 Middlesbrough Second Division
Sat 23 Sep Middlesbrough 1 - 0 Hull City Second Division
1971/1972 Sat 29 Apr Middlesbrough 3 - 0 Hull City Second Division
Sat 11 Dec Hull City 4 - 3 Middlesbrough Second Division
1970/1971 Sat 19 Dec Middlesbrough 1 - 0 Hull City Second Division
Sat 22 Aug Hull City 1 - 0 Middlesbrough Second Division
1969/1970 Sat 28 Mar Hull City 3 - 2 Middlesbrough Second Division
Sat 15 Nov Middlesbrough 1 - 0 Hull City Second Division
1968/1969 Sat 22 Mar Middlesbrough 5 - 3 Hull City Second Division
Sat 31 Aug Hull City 3 - 0 Middlesbrough Second Division
1967/1968 Wed 07 Feb Middlesbrough 1 - 0 Hull City F.A. Cup
played at neutral ground
Sat 03 Feb Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Hull City Second Division
Wed 31 Jan Hull City 2 - 2 Middlesbrough F.A. Cup
after extra time, 90 minutes ?-?
Sat 27 Jan Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Hull City F.A. Cup
Sat 23 Sep Hull City 0 - 2 Middlesbrough Second Division
1962/1963 Wed 10 Oct Hull City 3 - 0 Middlesbrough League Cup
Mon 08 Oct Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Hull City League Cup
after extra time ?
Mon 24 Sep Hull City 2 - 2 Middlesbrough League Cup
1959/1960 Mon 14 Sep Hull City 3 - 3 Middlesbrough Second Division
Wed 09 Sep Middlesbrough 4 - 0 Hull City Second Division
1955/1956 Sat 21 Apr Middlesbrough 5 - 1 Hull City Second Division
Sat 29 Oct Hull City 2 - 2 Middlesbrough Second Division
1954/1955 Sat 05 Feb Middlesbrough 1 - 2 Hull City Second Division
Sat 18 Sep Hull City 1 - 0 Middlesbrough Second Division
1947/1948 Sat 10 Jan Hull City 1 - 3 Middlesbrough F.A. Cup