Rhys Davies lives in the sleepy Humberside village of Walkington; he’s a Man United fan – but it’s OK, he’s from Manchester. He recently swapped the Best Team in Britain (OFFICIAL) for the Worst Team in Britain (OFFICIAL) – and saw in the New Year at the Boothferry Park AWS encounter (lovely)

A five-pound entry fee; a Mickey Mouse trophy; no PA system; and floodlights that come on just five minutes before kick-off. These are just some of the differences I am slowly getting used to as I make the perilous adjustment to lower-division football.

As a lifelong Man United fan, brought up on a rich diet of Premiership and European success, a business move to Hull has plunged me into the dizzy heights of Hull City FC – what more of a contrast could you possibly get?!

My ‘night out’ was to be my second visit to Boothferry Park, this time accompanied by a friend of mine who happens to be a passionate Wrexham fan. And he would have to be passionate to want to come and see Hull City play Wrexham in the second round of the…what is it called? Oh Yes, the Auto Windscreens Shield played on Tuesday night, 5^th January 1999.

City came into the game following a run of bad results (though admittedly the last one being to the leaders of the Premiership, Aston Villa in the FA Cup) and six points adrift at the bottom of the Football League.

Despite an early flurry by City, Wrexham controlled the first-half, with debutant Robin Gibson catching the eye against City’s struggling left-back, Gregor Rioch (son of Bruce). By the 53^rd minute, Wrexham were deservedly two goals up.

Following a double substitution early in the second-half by new manager Warren Joyce, City looked more purposeful and in the 73^rd minute, following a sweeping move, Gareth Williams netted a lifeline for the Tigers, his first goal since his 25-thousand-pound arrival from Scarborough. Alas, however, to the disappointment of the 2,300 Boothferry Park diehards, City couldn’t convert chances and crashed to yet another defeat.

My Wrexham friend commented after Hull scored that I was looking a little ‘partisan’. Well, perhaps, I’m trying to rediscover the ‘roots’ of the game after supporting one of the big clubs for so long, or maybe I really am developing a soft-spot for Hull City.