The Blues’ home game with Hull City remains 0-0 at half-time.

Town made five changes from the team which comfortably swept Swansea City aside 3-0 on Saturday.

Ex-Tiger Jacob Greaves returned at left-back, Jack Taylor came into central midfield, Sindre Walle Egeli was wide on the right right, Jack Clarke at wide left and George Hirst the number nine. Leif Davis, Dan Neil, Wes Burns, Anis Mehmeti and Ivan Azon all dropped to the bench.

Hull City made four changes from the team which won 1-0 at Portsmouth on Saturday with Paddy McNair, Cody Drameh, Liam Millar and one-time Town target Matt Crooks coming into the side.

Akin Famewo, Amir Hadziahmetovic, Kyle Joseph and 14-goal top scorer Ollie McBurnie switched to substitutes roles. Nigerian international defender Semi Ajayi, who once had a trial with Town, returned to the 20-man squad after injury.

Town started positively and in the second minute Hirst thought he’d battled his way through on goal on the right of the box, only for referee Lewis Smith to call him back for a foul on John Egan, a player the Blues showed interest in during the January transfer window.

In the 10th minute, skipper Dara O’Shea snuffed out the first Hull attack of the evening and brought the ball forward before feeding Marcelino Nunez, who moved it on to Walle Egeli, who cut inside and struck a shot which deflected for a corner. Following the flag-kick, Nunez blazed high and wide.

Town continued to have the better of it but with the odd sloppy moment and few chances until Taylor turned just outside the area and hit a low effort just wide of Tigers keeper Ivor Pandur’s right post.

On 20, Liam Millar found space not too far outside the Town box but shot over into the Blues fans in the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.

Hull began to see more of the ball and as the game moved towards the half-hour mark, Millar was found in space on the left before hitting a shot against Furlong. The ball came out to Crooks, whose strike was blocked by Greaves.

Town forced Pandur into his first save of the evening in the 31st minute. Taylor’s tenacity won it on the left and the midfielder crossed low to Hirst, who turned it first-time towards goal at the near post but the Croatian keeper was equal to it.

Five minutes later, Tigers captain Lewie Coyle was shown the game’s first yellow card for bringing down Walle Egeli.

Nunez whipped over a free-kick from the left in the 37th minute that Pandur punched away. The ball was returned and, after Greaves had battled in the air, almost dropped for Hirst but ran too close to Pandur, who claimed.

Two minutes later, Tigers manager Sergej Jakirovic appeared to be the member of Tigers coaching staff shown a yellow card for complaining that Walle Egeli hadn’t been booked for a foul on Coyle.

The visitors’ skipper was treated at length on the pitch, much to the annoyance of Town supporters already frustrated by Hull players wasting time, keeper Pandur in particular, taking his time over restarts. Coyle was eventually forced to make way, Famewo taking over at left wing-back.

Famewo fouled Walle Egeli just before the whistle but escaped a booking and Hull successfully defended the free-kick.

Town had been the side in control throughout, as the possession stat of 72.4 per cent illustrates, but without creating anything significant aside from Hirst’s close-range effort and while also being sloppy in possession at times.

Hull, who had been largely content to sit back and frustrate the Blues, had looked potentially threatening on the break but had failed to make the most of a number of situations with Millar particularly guilty of wasting opportunities.

As with the game at the MKM Stadium earlier in the season, Town will have to work hard to create openings in the second half with the subs once again likely to have to play a big part.

Town: Walton, Furlong, O’Shea (c), Kipre, Greaves, Matusiwa, Taylor, Walle Egeli, Nunez, Clarke, Hirst. Subs: Palmer, Davis, Neil, Cajuste, Burns, McAteer, Mehmeti, Akpom, Azon.

Hull City: Pandur, Coyle (c) (Famewo 42), Hughes, Egan, McNair, Drameh, Slater, Crooks, Gelhardt, Millar, Koumas. Subs: Phillips, Ajayi, McBurnie, Hadziahmtovic, Dowell, Joseph, Lundstram, McCarthy. Referee: Lewis Smith (Lancashire).

Photo: Matchday Images