Hull City are looking to replicate the heroes of 2008 when they face Southampton at Wembley

Brian Dick Reach Football Correspondent

09:00, 21 May 2026

Hull City are back in the Championship play-off final – and when that happens good things tend to follow.

The Tigers have successfully come through two previous campaigns and won promotion to the Premier League in 2008 and 2016.

They face Southampton at Wembley Stadium on May 23 looking to make it the most glorious of hat-tricks, and once again, they’ll have the east end of the arena as they did on those occasions.

Indeed if Sergej Jakirovic’s men are wondering what a win would mean, they should know the previous two teams who achieved it are both very fondly remembered at the club.

None more so than the team of 2007/08 who reached the top flight for the first time in their 104-year history when the legendary Dean Windass scored the only goal of the game against Bristol City.

Here’s what the rest of the squad from that day are doing now.

Boaz Myhill

Myhill left the Tigers after more than 250 appearances to sign for West Bromwich Albion in 2010, where he is now on the coaching staff under new boss James Morrison.

Sam Ricketts

Ricketts left City in 2009 to move to Bolton Wanderers, spending four years there before a switch to Wolves. He ended his career at Coventry City in 2016 following a knee injury.

He had managerial spells at Wrexham and Shrewsbury, whom he left in November 2020. He is a director of a building merchant’s in Knutsford.

Wayne Brown

The defender spent another year at City before moving on to Leicester. He signed for Preston North End in 2010 but was released after their relegation in 2011, and joined Bury Town. His playing career ended in 2012.

Since then he has gone into coaching, working in various roles at Colchester United including caretaker manager. He had a spell in charge of Isthmian League North’s Maldon and Tiptree before returning to Colchester as head coach in 2022, before being dismissed later that year.

Michael Turner

The defender later played for Sunderland, Norwich and Southend United, where he was released at the end of the 2018/19 season. Has returned to MKM Stadium as a guest speaker this season. Now involved in property management.

Andy Dawson

He ended a ten-year stint at City when he left after the Tigers’ second Premier League promotion in 2013 to join Scunthorpe United – where he stayed for the next seven years.

He retired from playing in 2015, joining Scunthorpe’s coaching staff, and enjoying two stints as caretaker manager. In 2019, he went back to City to join the academy coaching set-up. He is now Head of Player Development under Sergej Jakirovic.

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Richard Garcia

The Australian headed back to his homeland after failing to secure a contract extension at City, signing for Melbourne Heart in 2012. He later played for Sydney FC and Minnesota United in MLS.

He spent a period with Perth Glory, retiring from playing in 2017 and after that serving on the coaching staff. He is now an assistant coach to Australia’s Under-20 team.

Ian Ashbee

After nine years at the club, Ashbee left in 2011, and subsequently spent a season at Preston North End. He retired from football in 2012, although he did spend a few months in 2015 at Hull United in the Humber Premier League.

Though he has done some coaching at Bridlington Town, his business interest now lies outside football, and he is now director at Humber Business Supplies in Hull.

Bryan Hughes

Hughes left the Tigers in 2010, and wound down his career with a series of short spells, taking in Burton Albion, Grimsby Town, IBV Vestmannaeyjar in Iceland, Accrington Stanley, and Scarborough Athletic, where he spent a season as joint head coach.

He had the manager’s job at Wrexham but left in September 2019 and since then has been concentrating on media work and his role as Academy Head at the i2i International Soccer Academy.

Nick Barmby

The former England man finished his career at City in 2012, spending the previous season as player-manager. He has also coached in schools and local clubs as well as at Scunthorpe United, leaving the role in May 2019. He was inducted into the Tigers’ Hall of Fame in December 2023.

Fraizer Campbell

In 2008 he was on loan at what was then the KCOM from Manchester United, and returned to the Tigers on a permanent deal between 2017 and 2019. He has also played for Sunderland, Cardiff City and Crystal Palace.

The striker was released by Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2022 and has since set up the FC9 Academy in Huddersfield and continues to do media work.

Dean Windass

A boyhood Hull City fan, he left the club in 2009 to become player-coach at Darlington. However, he left that job in September 2009, and announced his retirement from professional football a month later.

He played a handful of semi-pro matches, took up the position of chairman at Goole AFC at the start of 2020 and was awarded an Honorary Degree by the University of Hull in 2025. He is also a campaigner for dementia awarenesshaving himself been diagnosed.

Subs

Matt Duke

Duke stayed at City until 2011, when he moved to Bradford City. He then signed for Northampton Town permanently in 2013, spending two years there before joining Alfreton Town, and moving to Chesterfield in 2017. He is now the goalkeeping coach at Sheffield United.

Nathan Doyle

The former England junior international came through at Derby, spent a couple of seasons, scoring in the play-off semi-finals before leaving in 2010. He went on to represent Barnsley, Bradford City and Luton Town, where he ruptured his Achilles tendon and left Luton in 2017. He had a short spell in charge of East Hull in 2020.

Dean Marney

The midfielder spent four years with the Tigers, then joined Burnley and spent eight years there, making more than 200 appearances for the club. In July 2018, he signed for League One side Fleetwood Town and hung up his boots in 2020. Now 42-years-old he is U18 lead coach at Stoke City.

Caleb Folan

The striker was City’s first million-pound signing and spent four years at the club, once falling out with Phil Brown. with short stays at Colorado Rapids, Birmingham City, Malaysia’s T-Team, Bradford City and Kanbawza in Myanmar. He is now lead holistic and sports therapist at Fairmont Windsor Park.

Craig Fagan

Having started out at Birmingham he had a nomadic career which included two spells with the Tigers. He was released in 2011, signing for Bradford City soon afterwards. He also played for Bury, Gillingham and DPMM in the Singaporean league in February 2015. However, he tore his Achilles tendon during his third match there, and was released.

Since then, he coached at the City academy for a time, held roles at Southend and Maidstone – and as of last month is now manager at United.

Manager

Phil Brown

Forever connected with the Tigers, Brown at four years in charge before leaving in March 2010. Since then, he has been the manager of Preston North End, Southend United (twice), Swindon Town, Barrow and Kidderminster Harriers. He is now 66-years-old and director of football at non-league Peterborough Sports.

You can listen to our Wembley preview with Phil Brown right here

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