It was a moment caught on camera and beamed quickly across the world amid one of the most enthralling Championship games of another captivating season.
Hull City had just levelled up for the third time against Ipswich Town after Noah Ohio slammed in the Tigers’ third goal three minutes from time to snatch a deserved point, and Tractor Boys boss Kieran McKenna was seen punching the inside of the dugout in frustration.
McKenna was dismayed at Harry Clarke’s foul on Jaden Philogene which afforded City the chance to put the ball into the penalty area which Fabio Carvalho did, Matty Jacob rose at the back post to head at goal with goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky flapping the header into the path of Ohio who fired in.
At that point, Town looked to be dropping two points which could have proved pivotal in their quest to win automatic promotion to the Premier League. And McKenna’s angst was obvious having seen goals from George Hirst and a stunning Omari Hutchinson brace cancelled out by Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap.
While that enthralling contest finished 3-3, Town would then go on and beat Coventry and relegated Huddersfield to secure their place in the Premier League, and following that sensational achievement, McKenna has spoken for the first time about hitting the MKM Stadium dugout with such ferocity in what could have been a big moment in the race for promotion.
“It was just frustration because I thought the stages of the game when the scores were even, we were really in the ascendancy and looking like scoring,” the Northern Irishman explained in conversation with the Tractor Boys’ website.