Lewie Coyle will walk out at Wembley for the first time today with Hull one win away from the Premier League and his late father in mind. The captain says the occasion carries an added meaning as he prepares to lead his side against Middlesbrough in the play-off final.

Coyle said he believes Chris Coyle would have been proud to see the moment. “He'd be proud. I want to share this with him, wherever he is, if he is looking down - I’m sure he is. That's what I sort of cling onto,” he said.

That emotion hangs over a match that could reshape Hull’s season. Victory would send the club back into the Premier League, and for Coyle it would come on a stage he has never played on before. Wembley is a first for him, but the memory he carries into the stadium is far older.

Chris Coyle was a familiar face in the city and had run a long-established fruit and veg stall before his sudden death in June 2022. The loss left a mark on the family, and this final gives the Hull captain a chance to connect the biggest day of his career with the man he says would have understood it best.

Family has long been part of Coyle’s story. His brothers Tommy, Joe and Rocco are all professional sportsmen, but today it is Lewie who stands closest to a major career milestone. He is relishing the chance to lead Hull back into the top flight, knowing the result will decide far more than one game.

The tension around the final is clear enough without embellishment. Middlesbrough stand between Hull and promotion, and the stakes are fixed in one afternoon at Wembley. For Coyle, though, the match is also personal. It is a chance to carry his father’s memory into the heart of the occasion and to finish the day with something that would have meant as much off the pitch as it does on it.