Penultimatum

I am always nervous at this stage in the year, more specifically the closing weeks of the English football season.

There are two games left for my team, Hull City and after relegation from their two seasons in the Premier League and a couple of years recovering from that ordeal in the upper half of what is a very, very competitive Division they find themselves, entirely on merit in second position, an automatic promotion place.

Their last ascent to the lofty heights of the Premier League was through the play-offs at the end of the 2008 season which provided me, my Father , Peter H and Phil with an unforgettable day out at Wembley with the other 40,000 followers of the team ,followed by a very quiet drive back in disbelief that our team had triumphed.

It has been a nervous few weeks up until today. A big fat and plump cushion, almost a duvet, of seven points over third place Watford has been whittled away to just the one ahead of City's last but one game today against another Yorkshire club, Barnsley. They, themselves are at a critical stage in their season being equidistant to the bottom of the league as Hull are to the top. They desperately need the full six points from their last two games and other results amongst 9 other clubs to go their way to be assured of escaping the drop to League One.

So, after the passage of the 44 previous fixtures played since last August it all comes down to the fact that a tremendous amount is at stake from 3pm this afternoon.

At 78 points to date Hull City need 3 more to master the possible total of 80 that Watford seem highly likely to get following a good win last night away at Leicester City.

It would be nice to think that this could be achieved away at Barnsley although I do have mixed feelings about being promoted at the expense of another Yorkshire club especially as the County has very much under performed this season with Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield occupying the bottom 12 places.

Leeds are safe from the relegation battle by the one point. They play Watford in the final match of the season and cannot be relied upon, on the basis of bad blood and history with Hull City to do them a favour and get result if the outcome at Barnsley today is not as hoped for.

City's last game is at home to the League Champions, Cardiff next Saturday. I cannot say who the Bluebirds will send to play, hopefully the office and administrative staff or alternatively they could come at full strength and wholly obliterate my team in order to close off their successful campaign in the best style possible.

I have written this just before 1pm, with 2 hours or so to go before the City v Barnsley match. In true faithful fan style I will go out on my pushbike and avoid any news bulletins and latest scores until 5pm. I will then log on to Sky Sports Score Centre and on the Championship Results page slowly draw my hand across from left to right to reveal the result from the game. I don't really know why I do it in this way. Force of habit in my 34 years of being put through the emotional stresses by a team who never tend to do things the easy way.

The subsequent reveal will make my baked beans on toast for Saturday's tea either taste like a banquet if Hull City win or like swallowing pebbles if everything has to come down to the last game of the season.

Most supporters of a team will sympathise with the great Bill Shankly in saying  "that some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that".

If the worst case scenario unfolds and Hull City fail to get automatic promotion then the fallback of the Play Offs is still there but I am already sufficiently stressed to not be able to entertain or contemplate what is still a significant achievement. So here goes, less than two hours now to kick off. Up the Tigers, please Up.

(Postscript- oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Barnsley 2 Hull City 0. Never mind, still next week and fixture 46)