I always think Hull is the least appreciated and underrated of all the UKs big cities. But famed for its Rugby League clubs. Some say situated at the wrong end of the M62. But it was recently voted the best UK city for families to live in. When I lived in Scunthorpe we used to go there regularly and experience it's delights. This is a cup tie and very difficult to predict. Form says Hull should win but we are the underdogs and I've a feeling the team will be up for it. A draw isn't a possibility but I've a feeling it will be 2-1 either way. I'll go our way and Sharp or Nixon

I used to live in, well, near Scunthorpe - Burton and used to go to the Old Showground occasionally.

The bridge was still being built when I lived there, so it was still a long way around to Hull, so I haven’t been there for years.

As for the DPL I think you could get a mention in dispatches if it goes 2-1 against us, but no points.

Ah yes the Sheffield Arms and the Ferry House Inn down by the river. Many a happy hour there in Summer.

The Sheffield Arms has changed hands/landlords numerous times since I lived there and we keep up with the news by going up to stay with friends, the last time when we took in the Crewe match and we went to the Ferry House on the Saturday night.

We experienced the Flixborough disaster and the dreadful storm that brought down most of the trees in the beautiful avenue as you enter the village - now quite well re-established I might say.

I wonder if Ethan Ennis will be as good as his publicity.

Yes we lived in Bottesford the other side of Scunthorpe. The disaster happened on Appleby Frodinghams Gala day. Even though we were at least 5 miles away we felt the rush of air from the blast in our back garden and it shattered shop fronts in Ashby high street. As you hope the new boy helps us be more consistent and penetrating.

I was outside the gates of the works 30 minutes before it happened and cleaning my car when the explosion accompanied by the mushroom cloud went up a mile or so away, blowing out our windows and forcing out the back wall of our house a foot or so. There was genuine fear of nuclear fall-out, but somehow we accepted it as fate.

The irony was that when lit up at night, the Nypro chemical works looked quite magical. My wife’s best friend’s father died at the works that day. Over 50 years ago now.

Donaldo, thanks for thinking of us on the Left Coast of the USA. I always call it the Left Coast as the States and Most Major Cities are run by incompetent politicians who are mainly Democrats. If you want to read what some of us here think, this article says it all (note, Pauline and I are not US citizens so cannot vote - it used to be called “taxation without representation”!).
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/01/10/california-burning-failure-leadership-fueled-ideology/?
Luckily, like most winters, it has been very wet here which is great for the ski resorts, and for water next summer unless there is a rapid melt-off. Oregon had a slightly above normal acreage burn last summer, but none near Portland. 2020 was the year Portland and the northern Willamette Valley were impacted. We had several days of smoke-filled skies, and smoke tainted wine grapes, but luckily for the wine industry, only a few acres of vines were permanently lost. However, some small towns in Central and Southern Oregon were badly hit. Some of the worst fires were started by fallen power lines. The nearest serious fire to Portland was about 12 miles away.
Enough about Left Coast fires, I’ll send something about the Rovers later today.

I have not been to Hull since the summer of 1964 when I worked at the Blackburn aircraft factory as part of my Aeronautical Engineering degree. I was given some tasks on the final assembly line and was told to slow down as they were not on piece time pay! I do remember some heavy beer nights with fellow degree students.
A far as the game, I just cannot see us winning (although Morecambe did well today against Leeds!), but one never knows with the Rovers.
I'll say Hull 3 Rovers 1 with Sharp scoring, but hope the score is the other way around.

This alternative view of the political management of West Coast weather disasters has been presented over here on the back of these fires, notably recently championed by Mr Trump, a man who epitomises aspects of US culture which a lot of us over here struggle to understand. Democratic State Governments have been in power in California save for a few notable Governors like Reagan and Arnie Schwarzenegger for many years have they not, so there is a legitimate concern that the contra view is under-represented?

From afar we also observe that Republican Florida also suffers major climatic disasters, but perhaps there, preventable action on a political level, is not a solution.

You may be aware that here, in a possible parallel, building on flood planes has carried on this century most recently without preventative measures under right wing administrations.

The politics of Climate Change eh?

I think Hull will be a step up in class too far for us at the moment but hope I'm wrong. I'll say 2-0 to Hull, but am inyerested and inyrigued to see whether Ennis may have some magic to open them up - also whether Street's pace may cause a problem.

Apologies for my fat fingers and the typos...

Hull 2-1 Rovers
Sharp to score ⚽

Well, very pleasantly surprised. Strong defensive performance and largely held our nerve in the penalty shootout.

Not playing a full strength team was rather naive of the Hull manager if he wanted to get through this round, although perhaps their second best players are not far behind the team that drew to Leeds. Even so, if they’d been more clinical it could still have gone against us.

Let’s hope that it boosts the confidence.

Crystal Palace at home is not the worst draw we might have got - and it ought to be televised.

Just watched the highlights on the BBC website, and luckily Hull were not very clinical, and TS-L certainly made some good saves . Should he have got a red not a yellow? Some could claim he was the last defender and denied a goal scoring opportunity. If there had been VAR.....???
Rovers' goal was a very good move and finish, and to win after Ironside, of all people, missed his penalty, gives one some encouragement.
Amazing that we now will be at home to Palace in the next round, and they were not too impressive against Stockport today (based on the highlights).
Now let us go and get three points at Gillingham.

It's still a " Who knows" season for us. The next few matches should determine how it's going to go. The Olowu/ McGrath partnership has served Rovers well. Don't forget it's not GMs first choice centre backs! The key will be how the new MU boy fits in. Walsall look champions already but all the other promotion and playoff places could be anybody's.

Perhaps I’m over sensitive, but when the (televised) draw was made for the 4th round “numbers to look out for” did not include Rovers. In previous draws much publicity has been given to the lowest placed teams still in the competition even including TV coverage of their reaction to the draw. But for Rovers, no special mention - just another team in the hat.

Incidentally “plain” and not “plane” - I only just noticed.

Signing someone named Crew is quite ironic really. Let's hope the January signings can improve our form.

Here are the latest DPL figures with the Hull "result" taken at the end of 90 minutes. It is mildly remarkable
that 4 out of 5 of us predicted Sharp would score in the Hull cup-tie.

Rovers 1 (Sterry) : Port Vale 2
>>>>>>> Scorer Score > Result Bonus > Total > Pts B/F >>> O/all
Donaldo>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 48 >>>>>> 48
PDXMickey> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>> 100 >>>>>> 100
Crazy>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 47 >>>>>> 47
Mooligan>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 85 >>>>>> 85
Nookie>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 36 >>>>>> 36
Selby>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>>> 0
>>>>>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 316 >>>> 316

Hull City 1 : Rovers 1 (Molyneux) Rovers won 5-4 on penalties.
>>>>>>> Scorer Score > Result Bonus > Total > Pts B/F >>> O/all
Donaldo>>> 4 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 4 >>>>> 48 >>>>>> 52
PDXMickey> 4 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 4 >>>> 100 >>>>> 104
Crazy>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 47 >>>>>> 47
Mooligan>> 4 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 4 >>>>> 85 >>>>>> 89
Nookie>>>> 4 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 4 >>>>> 36 >>>>>> 40
Selby>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>>> 0
>>>>>>>>> 16 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 16 >>> 316 >>>>> 332