George Honeyman (2020/21)
After suffering relegation from the Championship the year before in an extended season due to COVID, Hull City would produce a first league title in 55 years to return to the second tier at the first time of asking. One of many key players in that team was George Honeyman.
Scoring four goals and registering 14 assists in 42 League One appearances, the Prudhoe-born midfielder was essential in helping the Tigers return to Championship football at the first time of asking.
“You didn’t want to be hungover from last year and because it was such a short gap in-between the seasons, it was a bit of a weird feeling. We had a week up in Scotland doing pre-season, but it wasn’t your normal big run up to a new season,” said Honeyman.
“What I was really impressed with was the summer business the club did. They brought in some really good characters and it was exactly what we needed. It was one of them where you wanted to right the wrong of what happened last year and there was a bit of personal pride as well. To come to the club in the Championship with the view of getting the club into the Premier League and you end up in League One, you think however long you are at the club, you do not want to leave it in a worse position to what it was and the club made some key signings. We had a few characters in the dressing room already, but they were too and far between to be honest and the club put that statement of intent. The manager at the time set his sights on winning the league from early days.”
Winning the first four league games without conceding a goal, which also saw the now 29-year-old net his first goal of the season away at Northampton Town, Grant McCann’s City had produced a statement of intent.
The Tigers had only suffered three league defeats before a trip to Oxford United at the beginning of December. Playing behind-closed-doors after football was reintroduced during the COVID pandemic at the end of the 2019/20 season, the trip to Kassam Stadium was the first weekend that saw fans attend stadiums in limited numbers. One thousand Oxford fans attended the fixture, with Honeyman saying it is a game that had a surreal feeling to it.
“The fans at Oxford generally felt like I was playing in-front of 30,000 people. It was crazy from being getting used to playing behind closed doors and no one being there and hearing voices all over the pitch to hearing fans. You’re talking 1,000 fans and at Oxford it is quite an open stadium; it kind of took me by surprise.
“One big regret that year is not being able to do it in-front of the Hull City fans, because it would have made that season even more special,” added Honeyman. “We were getting our hopes up that they would be back and there might be a few more fans back at the KCOM, but I think we had a couple of games postponed over Christmas due to COVID and it quickly got shut down again so it was a weird time. It definitely kept you on your toes, but those 1,000 fans will stick with me for a long time.”
Three consecutive defeats in December before a host of games being called off around Christmas saw City eager to begin 2021 with a win. That was produced as finishes from Hakeeb Adelakun and Greg Docherty secured a 2-0 home win over Charlton Athletic, a start if a five game unbeaten run. At the end of that run came one of the biggest wins in the title winning season, a 4-0 victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park, a game which Honeyman scored in.
“We knew beforehand how big that game was for us, and we proved it to ourselves and everyone else that we’re here to win this league. We had that sense on that day where we would just run all over them and show why we were the best team in this league and to be honest we really came to the party that game.
“It was one of my favourite games to be ever involved with to be honest. Every one to a man was honest and right there with you and that epitomised us that season that you could trust your mate next to you and we had a sense that on our day, we could turn anyone over in that league so it was a very good football game.”
A little dip in form saw City slide from top to third in the league, despite a 5-0 victory away at Wigan Athletic coming in a run of two wins in eight. However, the 3-0 victory away at AFC Wimbledon at the end of February began a 14-game unbeaten run, which saw McCann’s side register 11 wins.
The day that City fans remember is Saturday 24 April 2021, with a win needed away at Lincoln City to secure promotion back to the second flight. With the game locked at 1-1, Mallik Wilks proved to be the calmest man at Sincil Bank to stroke a 83rd-mintue penalty into the bottom corner before promotion was secured with the final whistle.
“In all honesty, we had all just lost our mind for about five minutes. It was just the relief from everyone, because we had been up there all season, but to actually finish the job feels like the hardest part sometimes. It was just limbs and I had gone off that game as I had really hurt my ankle in training the previous week, but I just wanted to grit through it, because there was so much at stake. I was hopping about in there and we just lost yourself for five minutes,” revealed Honeyman.
“There were some really special times and it is just mad to think we were just in a really small Portakabin on the side of the stadium and it was just sheer joy from all the lads which was the reason why we got to where we did because every man in that squad just all pulled together for the same thing.”
After promotion was secured, the team celebrated in the training base in Cottingham. Of the social media clips that went viral, it was Honeyman singing a rendition of Queen’s ‘I want to break free’ that went down the best with City fans.
“I could not of asked for a better band partner than Sean McLoughlin, he is a top musician and a top guy. We had ‘Eavesy’ (Tom Eaves) singing The Beatles from the rooftop. I think we all just went crazy the last few years from COVID and not seeing anyone. There were all really good people and it was just nice because the majority of us had gone through the year before with relegation. I think the rendition of Queen showed just how much pent up relief I had and I needed to let it out!”
With promotion secured, the next task was simple. Win at home to Wigan to secure the title. McCann’s men did that to the letter. Goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, Honeyman and Josh Magennis secured a 3-1 victory and the Sky Bet League One title on home soil.
Celebrating in a stadium with only members of family, the team went outside into West Park to meet a small gathering of City fans to share the moment of a first league title for the football club in 55 years.
“We had just a special season and to not share it with your family or the fans at the game was extremely difficult. I had my girlfriend at the time, who is now my fiancée, there and that was the first game she came to watch and it was so special. It really hit home when we celebrated with the fans outside West Park. I don’t know how many were there, but you really felt that support.
“We had been thinking about them all season, but to see them in the flesh, it kind of hit home and it was just a lot of good memories over the last few months of that season. It was a really special place and it was just really nice to top it off with the title at home and have that little moment with the fans and it meant the world to everyone that we could share a little bit with them.”
With the title secured, there was extra awards for Honeyman. Being part of the EFL & PFA Team of the Years, the 29-year-old also scooped up Players’ Player, Supporters’ Player and the club Player of the Year awards.
“It is something that I will appreciate in later years. It was just nice being out on the football pitch performing for Hull City and it is something that I never took for granted, because I look at it now and remember being in a good place,” said Honeyman.
“Good things were happening in my life and I was with a great bunch of lads that I felt really comfortable with and that probably showed on the football pitch. It was really special to win the three awards at the end of the year and it topped off a perfect season us winning the league. Winning the league was first and foremost what I wanted and it is one season that I will always treasure and hopefully I have a few more left in the tank, but that is definitely one of the better ones so far.”
