Joe Bryan’s last gasp equaliser, Diedhiou’s double and schoolboy errors - that crazy draw between Bristol City and Hull

By the time that Bristol City drew an incredible game 5-5 against Hull City at Ashton Gate in April 2018, the Robins had already drawn 3-3 at home against Sunderland and drawn 2-2 at Leeds United, Brentford and drawn 3-3 at Wolves.

Home wins of 4-1 over Gary Rowett’s Derby County and 4-0 against Sheffield Wednesday would pave the way for a run at the top six in 2017/18.

But five defeats in seven games at the turn of the year would see that dream die, and the league campaign would then fizzle out, possibly affected by a sapping but memorable League Cup run, with a spectacular game against Hull City, before a 2-3 loss to Chris Wilder’s then upwardly mobile Sheffield United.

When Nigel Adkins brought his Hull City side to the South West, his Humberside team were on a fine run charging towards Championship safety. A point against head coach Lee Johnson’s side ensured mission complete: the drop had been avoided after just three losses in 12 games.

A 2-3 win at the KCOM in the previous November had come about after the home side were 2-0 up, only for Aden Flint, Bobby Reid and Josh Brownhill to affect a West Country turnaround.

The result pushed then Tigers boss Leonid Slutsky to the drop. Hull dropped to 20th and after a run of seven Championship games without a win the Russian coach was dismissed, after taking over the Premier League relegated side in the early summer. Not too dissimilar from present times, it must be said.

Adkins had steadied the ship, and his team to draw 5-5 included some big names: Jarrod Bowen, now of West Ham and England, Wales’ Harry Wilson, big money club record signing Abel Hernandez, Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori and Fraizer Campbell, who only scored more goals against Birmingham City than he did against Bristol City.

On this occasion, Johnson lined his side up in a 4-4-2 with Korey Smith and Marlon Pack in central midfield, and with Jamie Paterson and Callum O’Dowda wide. Future Robins midfielder Markus Henriksen played in the middle for the opposition.

Wilson’s 16th-minute curler started the proceedings, but Bristol City roared back through a Marlon Pack daisy cutter from 30 yards out, hit from just in front of the Bristol Bears’ 22m line, and two Famara Diedhiou goals either side of half-time.

Diedhiou’s second was a glancing header that was a contender for the team goal of the year. Fielding played a vertical pass out of his own area and the ball was worked neatly through midfield for Reid to cross. The Senegal forward headed in.

Jamie Paterson also hit the woodwork and O’Dowda wasted a good opportunity in the delightfully most open of games you could wish to watch.

Tomori’s header then went into the net off Frank Fielding, going down as an own goal, to make it 3-2 before Bobby Reid’s final ever goal for his hometown club established the two-goal lead again, a close-range flick enough to beat Allan McGregor.

However, an inswinging Wilson free kick made it 4-3 as the goals kept coming and Hull City then equalised as Uruguay forward Hernandez converted following a deflected Kamil Grosicki cross.

At 4-4 and with mere minutes to play, most onlookers were exasperated and wondering whether there could yet be any late twists. There sure could.

Polish winger Grosicki was once again involved as Campbell put the visitors’ noses in front with two minutes of the 90 left, but Bristol City weren’t done yet either.

Joe Bryan had made a habit of scoring big game goals, including top corner smashes against Bristol Rovers and Manchester United, and here was another quality finish: a shot from the edge of the area via his weaker right foot.

And there was still time for Grosicki to set up one last Hernandez chance that Fielding superbly saved. Eventually the scoring was finally over. There was to be a considerable shake-up of playing personnel soon.

Bryan would leave in the summer, alongside fellow academy product Reid, with a Premier League switch at the end of the forthcoming summer transfer window to Fulham seeing Aston Villa jilted at the last, and Cardiff pouncing for the other Bristolian.

Were these the games – including the score draws elsewhere, particularly the draw at home to Sunderland, 3-3 from three goals up – that convinced the Bristol City hierarchy to rejig in the next transfer window?

“We are all a bit shell-shocked. Having played well in the first half, we got ourselves 4-2 up and in a great position to take the points we needed,” said Johnson after the game.

“Our attacking play deserved even more goals but some of the defending was schoolboy errors.

Out went Flint, Bryan and Reid, as Weimann and Webster arrived, with Lloyd Kelly breaking through into the first-team too.