FIVE OF THE BEST: Memorable trips to Hull

Saints were 1-0 winners at the KC Stadium earlier this year, where a piece of history was created – and that game features in our pick of five matches below: 

11th April 1978 – Division 2 – Hull 0-3 Southampton

Ted MacDougall opened the scoring in this game

With five games remaining of the season, Saints headed to Hull hoping to close in on the title, and they got off to a flying start when Ted MacDougall glanced home a header with seven minutes on the watch.

The visitors had to wait until the second-half to finish the job though, with Phil Boyer sweeping home two minutes after the restart, and then with just a few minutes remaining, Alan Ball struck the game’s third goal to push Saints one step closer to promotion.

Lawrie McMenemy’s men would go on to clinch first division football, with Hull’s caretaker boss, Ken Knighton, suggesting that Saints were the best team in the league following this display.

Southampton team: Peter Wells, Manny Andruszewski, David Peach, Steve Williams, Chris Nicholl, Mick Pickering, Alan Ball, Phil Boyer, Ted MacDougall, Nick Holmes, Tony Funnell

9th October 1984 – League Cup – Hull 2-2 Southampton (5-4 on agg)

Steve Moran makes it 2-1 on the night at Boothferry Park

Saints led 3-2 from the first leg of this Milk Cup tie played at The Dell, and headed to Boothferry Park looking to confirm their passage to round three of the competition.

The visitors got off to a good start too, with Danny Wallace increasing Saints’ aggregate lead with a 13th minute strike from an acute angle.

City equalised before half-time, but Southampton regained their advantage on the night when Steve Moran (pictured) nudged home a cross from Steve Williams.

Hull missed a penalty just past the hour mark, but set up a tense finale when levelling the score on the night four minutes’ from time, with Saints grateful to Peter Shilton for preserving their lead.

Southampton team: Peter Shilton, Mick Mills, Mark Dennis, Mark Wright, Steve Williams, Kevin Bond, Nick Holmes, Alan Curtis, Joe Jordan, Steve Moran, Danny Wallace 

2nd December 2006 – Championship – Hull 2-4 Southampton

Grzegorz Rasiak was twice on target for the visitors

Grzegorz Rasiak's 19th-minute tap-in and Gareth Bale's outstanding 22-yard free-kick put Southampton in control, but Nick Barmby scrambled in a 43rd-minute goal to revive Hull's hopes and Craig Fagan capitalised on Kenwyne Jones' poor back-pass to make it 2-2.

But, with 15 minutes to go, Rasiak's well-worked second goal restored Saints' lead before substitute Bradley Wright-Phillips slid in for the fourth.

Saints boss George Burley assessed: "We had virtually total command in the first half but lost a bit of concentration and that lifted them."

Southampton team: Kelvin Davis, Alex Ostlund, Claus Lundekvam, Chris Baird, Gareth Bale, Andrew Surman (David Prutton 55), Pele, Rudi Skacel, Jermaine Wright, Grzegorz Rasiak, Kenwyne Jones (Bradley Wright-Phillips 62)

20th March 2012 – Championship – Hull 0-2 Southampton

Jos Hooiveld slides in for the second Saints goal during 2012

Southampton extended their lead at the top of the Championship to five points with victory at Hull.

Under pressure from Adam Lallana, Hull’s Jack Hobbs directed a Danny Fox cross into his own net to give Saints the lead before Jos Hooiveld made sure of the points with a close-range finish in the second half.

Nigel Adkins' side made it 11 games unbeaten in the league and, with second-placed Reading losing and third-placed West Ham United only drawing at home, Saints were beginning to pull clear at the top of the division.

“They don't concede many goals and I thought we applied ourselves very well,” said Adkins. “I thought we started very, very well and then we put in a very good defensive performance.”

Southampton team: Kelvin Davis, Frazer Richardson, Jose Fonte, Danny Fox (Dan Harding 77), Jos Hooiveld, Morgan Schneiderlin, Jack Cork, Guly do Prado (Steve De Ridder 50), Adam Lallana, Jason Puncheon (Dean Hammond 62), Rickie Lambert

11th February 2014 – Premier League – Hull 0-1 Southampton

Jose Fonte's strike squeezes over the line

Saints claimed their first ever goal via the Goal Decision System when Jose Fonte’s low drive back into the box appeared to be blocked from going in by Hull defender Maynor Figueroa.

The ball bounced out and was duly slammed back into the net by Rickie Lambert, but before the striker could celebrate, referee Martin Atkinson had awarded the effort to Fonte after checking with the newly installed software.

The strike was clocked in the 69th minute, with Hull’s Nikica Jelavic and Sone Aluko each going close to levelling, though Jack Cork would go closer to extending the visitors’ lead when he struck the bar in added on time.

It was the first time that Saints had won back-to-back away games in the Premier League since September 2001.

Southampton team: Artur Boruc, Calum Chambers, Luke Shaw, Maya Yoshida, Jose Fonte, Morgan Schneiderlin, Adam Lallana (James Ward-Prowse 88), Jack Cork, Steven Davis (Victor Wanyama 90), Rickie Lambert (Guly do Prado 77), Jay Rodriguez