Second-half goals from Marcelino Nunez and Chuba Akpom saw Town to a 2-0 victory over Hull City at the MKM Stadium to see the Blues up to fourth in the Championship table. After a less than enthralling first half, Nunez broke the deadlock with a header on 69 and one-time Tigers loanee Akpom stabbed home his first goal for the club four minutes later to seal a third successive away win.

Town made six changes from the team which drew 0-0 at home to Wrexham on Saturday. Jacob Greaves returned at centre-half against his old club with Jens Cajuste in midfield and Kasey McAteer, Nunez and Jack Clarke the trio behind striker George Hirst.

Cedric Kipre, Jack Taylor, Sindre Walle Egeli, former Tigers forward Jaden Philogene, Akpom, a Hull loanee early in his career, and Ivan Azon dropped to the bench.

The home side made three changes with midfielder Matt Crooks suspended and John Egan and Enis Destan dropping to the bench, the latter having scored in the last two matches.

Darko Gyabi replaced Crooks and Joel Ndala came in for Destan, while one-time Town trialist Semi Ajayi was at the centre of the defence for Egan. Ex-Blues loanee Brandon Williams was on the bench.

The Blues started positively with the Tigers making a few early errors at the back but with Town equally untidy and unable to profit.

Hull struck the game’s first effort in the 12th minute, Joe Gelhardt having evidently watched the Scotland-Denmark game and trying an audacious effort from not far inside the Blues’ half which worried Christian Walton for a moment before the Town keeper saw it fly well wide.

A minute later, Hull number one Ivor Pandur took too long over kicking the ball out and referee Lewis Smith awarded the Blues a corner, as per the new rule introduced ahead of this season.

On 21, with the game continuing in the scruffy manner in which it had started and the Blues still to manage a shot on target, Cajuste was booked for a late tackle on Ajayi after he had been sold short by a pass on halfway.

Seven minutes later, the Tigers went very close to going in front. A cross was knocked out to Ndala on the edge of the area and the Manchester City loanee struck a low shot which Walton did well to get down and across to and push onto his right post and wide.

As the game reached the half-hour mark, Gelhardt was yellow-carded for jumping into Greaves and catching him in the head with an arm.

Moments later, Cajuste lost possession on halfway, Greaves, who still looked affected by Gelhardt’s challenge, threw himself into a tackle but missed both Gyabi and the ball, before Joseph scuffed wide from not far outside the area.

The Blues struck their first shot of the game in the 36th minute, McAteer seeing some space to the right of the box after a spell of Town possession around the Hull area before sending an effort over.

Gelhardt hit straight at Walton from distance on 41, then within a minute Gyabi belted an effort so high it reached the back row of the stand behind the goal, summing up the quality of the half overall.

In the final scheduled minute of the half, Cajuste was caught by Hull skipper Lewie Coyle’s followthrough as the defender cleared, the Sweden international looking in obvious pain. After treatment on the pitch, he carried on until the whistle but without looking very comfortable.

A half lacking in quality from both sides with chances surprisingly rare given the teams’ form and goalscoring this season.

Town were largely in control but with too many passes or touches going astray and moves breaking down before getting into a dangerous area, and even when getting into potentially dangerous positions the Blues unable to carve out an opening.

Hull had the only real chance of the half when Ndala forced Walton to make the period’s only save.

Given the injury just before the break, it was little surprise that Cajuste made way ahead of the restart, Taylor taking over in the centre of midfield.

On 51, Gelhardt brought the ball into the area on the right under the attention of Leif Davis and went to ground claiming a foul along with the home fans. Referee Smith waved away the protests, as he did again moments when a Greaves header struck Taylor on the back on the edge of the box.

Tigers left-back Ryan Giles was booked a minute later for a foul on Nunez on the Town right. The Chilean whipped in a low free-kick to the near post which McAteer flicked over the bar.

As the hour approached, the Blues, who had been perhaps even more lacklustre since the break, finally began to threaten more consistently, Clarke and Davis exchanging passes on the edge on the left before the former Sunderland man’s shot was blocked after some inventive approach play down the left.

The Blues kept it in the danger area but Nunez failed to find McAteer with a pass on the right of the box, Giles intercepting.

Hull made a double change, Ndala and Amir Hadziahmetovic replaced by Destan and Mohamed Belloumi.

Town made a triple switch on 67, Clarke, Hirst and McAteer making way for Philogene, Akpom, as the number nine, and Walle Egeli.

Two minutes after their changes, the Blues went in front. Philogene, who along with Akpom was booed by his old fans, looped a fairly hopeful cross which beat Hull central defender Charlie Hughes and reached smallest man on the pitch Nunez, who had been left by marker Joseph, and the former Norwich man nodded his third goal of the season into the net.

On 72, the Blues counter-attacked four against two with Nunez on the ball but the goalscorer shot against a defender when a pass to any of his teammates would have been a better option.

Seconds later, Akpom looked certain to score after Davis had cut back from the byline but Hughes blocked his strike, then Pandur saved Darnell Furlong’s rebound from the right, batting the ball behind.

And from the resultant corner, the Blues doubled their lead. Skipper Dara O’Shea’s header was saved, the loose ball fell to Taylor, who stabbed towards goal and Akpom turned his first goal for the club over the line from a matter of inches.

Hull protested vehemently that their one-time loanee was offside, a member of their staff picking up a booking, and in real time they looked to have a case, but video evidence indicated the linesman got it right.

After Hull had swapped captain Coyle and Joseph for Cody Drameh and David Akintola, Town went looking for further goals and on 79 Philogene brought the ball in on the left of the box before smashing a shot against the post and away from goal on the other side.

The Blues made their final change in the 83rd minute, Ben Johnson replacing Nunez to a big ovation from the Town fans.

Greaves was cautioned for a foul on Gelhardt, before O’Shea was pole-axed by a Furlong clearance from about a yard away as four additional minutes were announced, but was able to carry on.

In injury time, Gelhardt struck a low shot, the Tigers’ first effort on goal since the break, which Walton claimed comfortably to ironic cheers from the Town support behind the goal.

The Blues saw out the remaining minutes to secure their third away win on the bounce, while claiming their first clean sheet on the road in 27 games in all competitions.

It was far from a vintage performance with the first half particularly scrappy but Town had begun to look more dangerous around the hour mark with the goals coming in the period following the substitutions, as has so often been the case under Kieran McKenna.

Nunez will have enjoyed his first headed goal for the club, while Akpom will be relieved as much as delighted to have opened his Town account.

The win, the Blues’ third at Hull’s current home and their first in the Championship here since 2007, moves Town up to fourth position, three points from the top two with a game in hand, ahead of further away trips to Oxford United on Friday and Blackburn Rovers next Tuesday.

Hull City: Pandur, Giles, Hughes, Ajayi, Coyle (c) (Drameh 78), Gyabi, Slater, Hadziahmetovic (Belloumi 64), Ndala (Destan 64), Joseph (Akintola 79), Gelhardt. Unused: Phillips, Egan, Famewo, Williams, McCarthy.

Town: Walton, Furlong, O’Shea (c), Greaves, Davis, Matusiwa, Cajuste (Taylor 46), McAteer (Walle Egeli 66), Nunez (Johnson 83), J Clarke (Philogene 66), Hirst (Akpom 66). Unused: Button, Kipre, Young, Azon. Referee: Lewis Smith (Lancashire). Att: 21,271 (Town: 2,336).

Photo: Matchday Images