Alan Lee scored within seconds of coming off the bench to give the Blues a deserved 1-0 victory over Hull City at Portman Road. However, the win wasn't enough with the Blues finishing the season eighth and failing to reach the play-offs by one point.

Loanee Shefki Kuqi returned to the starting line-up alongside Pablo Couñago with Danny Haynes dropping out and Jon Walters moving to the right flank.

Town started brightly and should have been in front inside the second minute. Pablo Couñago's shot hit the post and Kuqi dived in to follow up. Eventually, the linesman on the Britannia Stand side of the ground raised his flag to tardily and, video replays showed, wrongly disallow the goal.

The early stages were dominated by the Blues and the visitors were forced into a series of fouls, Dean Marney picking up the game's first yellow card in the eighth minute for a poor challenge on Tommy Miller.

On 11 Fraizer Campbell was sent through on the Town goal but the flag had been raised and Stephen Bywater saved in any case.

Jon Walters was giving his former club all sorts of problems down the Town right and in the 19th minute he exchanged a one-two with Pablo Couñago before finding Tommy Miller on the edge of the box, but his strike cannoned off the outside of the post. Ex-Blue Wayne Brown was booked for a foul on Couñago in the build-up.

Quinn shot wide from the edge of the area as the Blues continued to have the better of it with Hull surprisingly sitting back and looking to catch Town on the break.

Sam Ricketts went in referee Andre Marriner's book for a pull on Alan Quinn in the 29th minute, prior to the Irishman shooting over from 20 yards.

The visitors came more into the game in the closing 15 minutes but failed to test Bywater, Dean Windass hitting a 30-yard freekick over by some distance.

Three minutes before the break, Pablo Couñago became the first Town player to pick up a yellow card for a poor tackle having lost the ball.

Town would have been good for the 1-0 lead they would have taken in at the break had the linesman not disallowed Kuqi's goal. The Blues had dominated for the most part with Stephen Bywater rarely called into action.

The situation elsewhere with Crystal Palace winning, Watford losing and Wolves drawing meant that a play-off place was still on for Town if they could beat the Tigers.

The Blues started the second half with Alan Quinn screwing a 25-yard strike wide, then with 51 minutes on the clock Danny Haynes replaced the tiring Shefki Kuqi, Jon Walters moving into the centre and Haynes to wide right.

Hull had a good spell early in the second period but still without involving Bywater. Town gradually worked their way back into control of the match and should have gone ahead in the 57th minute when an excellent Owen Garvan run ended with the midfielder squaring the ball across the area to Couñago, who somehow scraped the ball wide when he ought to have scored.

Chances started to come thick and fast, Quinn headed Haynes's cross wide, then the Irishman shot well over after a Simpson run and cross from which the ball had failed to fall for Haynes and Couñago.

On 63 Couñago saw a shot deflect wide, then from the corner Jason De Vos, playing his final game for the Blues, headed wide.

Three minutes later, Garvan sent Couñago away on goal but Andy Dawson got back to put a toe in to put the ball out for a corner. Soon after, Tommy Miller's shot deflected wide.

As the game reached the 69th minute Jim Magilton switched Alan Lee for Alan Quinn, the striker joining Couñago up front and Jon Walters moving to the left. Within seconds of coming on, Lee scored. A freekick was looped in from the left just inside the Hull half. Lee held off Wayne Brown, headed the ball to Jon Walters, who headed it back to Lee, the Irish international nodding it across Boaz Myhill and into the net.

The excitement at the goal was tempered by Watford having netted an equaliser at Blackpool, meaning the victory would still leave the Blues outside the play-offs unless there was a change there or if Crystal Palace, now five up, suffered a hugely unlikely collapse at home to Burnley. Wolves were still drawing with Plymouth.

Dean Windass headed straight at Bywater as Hull went looking for the two goals which would take them to automatic promotion. Stoke were still drawing 0-0 at home to Leicester City.

Town felt they should have had a penalty in the 73rd minute when Danny Haynes's cross very clearly struck Dean Marney on the hand inside the area. Referee Marriner waved away the appeals.

Marney shot over from 35 yards, then Dawson was booked for an off the ball foul on Jon Walters.

Town were sitting back on the lead and Hull weren't looking much like pulling a goal back, Dawson curling a freekick over Bywater's crossbar in the 79th minute. Velice Sumulikoski took over from Couñago for the final 10 minutes as the Blues moved to a 4-5-1 formation.

Nick Barmby volleyed wide, then Alan Lee flicked a Haynes cross straight to Myhill, then chipped the ball to the Hull keeper from the edge of the area.

Haynes was yellow-carded for time-wasting, prior to Sumulikoski hitting an effort wide from 25 yards as the game drew to a close with neither side getting the results they required elsewhere, leaving the Blues in eighth and the Tigers in third with a play-off battle ahead of them. Bristol City, Palace and Watford took the other three places with Tony Mowbray's West Brom confirmed as champions and Stoke promoted with them.

Town: Bywater, Simpson, Wright, De Vos, Bruce, Garvan, Miller, Walters, Quinn (Lee 69), Kuqi (Haynes 52), Couñago (Sumulikoski 80). Unused: Colgan, Sito. Att: 28,233.

Photo: Action Images

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