Sir Alex Ferguson may have unearthed yet another gem as one of his latest protégés; 18 year old Fraizer Campbell blasted an impressive brace to see off a very sorry Barnsley side.
Barnsley went into last night's Yorkshire derby at Hull, unbeaten in their last seven games, whilst The Tigers- without a win in five also had a record of just one win in ten against Barnsley to contend with.
They need not have worried though as all the good work of the past seven games was destroyed in 18 devastating minutes.
Brazilian centre-half Dennis Souza, such a colossus since his summer arrival from Charleroi was ripped to shreds by the lighting Campbell and was extremely lucky to stay on the pitch after smashing his left elbow in the young Manchester United loanee's face.
After a turgid start Hull forged ahead with just seven minutes on the clock.
Veteran Dean Windass threaded a delightful ball that left Souza totally off balance and Campbell skipped away before slipping it coolly past goalkeeper Heinz Muller. It was the finish of a veteran, yet was his first senior goal in English football.
The Reds seemed to give up the ghost from then on. Aimless long balls, often from the foot of the usually cultured Stephen Foster were simply meat and drunk to the Hull defensive pairing of Wayne Brown and Michael Turner. They will probably never get an easier night than the one handed to them by the limp and lifeless strike pairing of Kayode Odejayi and Miguel Mostto.
It should have been 2-0 with 14 minutes on the clock and Souza could count himself extremely fortunate he remained on the pitch.
A high ball from the back once again caught the 6ft defender floundering and Campbell took advantage. Souza seemed to then bundle him down in the box but referee Andy D'Urso waved play on. The skirmish continued towards the by-line and Souza swung out his left elbow right in the jaw of Campbell. Luckily for Souza, D'Urso again got the decision wrong.
The Reds were not so lucky though eight minutes later as Campbell grabbed his second and what a beauty it was.
Campbell collected the ball on the edge of the Barnsley area, held off Anderson and Souza before appearing to lose possession to Lewin Nyatanga. Expertly though he regained the ball shimmered past Souza again before rifling a superb effort into the far corner.
Hull naturally took their foot off the gas slightly and allowed Barnsley possession but they never troubled Hull's goal with a Grant McCann free-kick seeming to flick off Dean Windass' arm in the area about the best it got.
Barnsley enjoyed the lion's share of possession after the break but again created nothing. Boaz Myhill was treated to catching practice as nine corners were floated straight into his arms.
Anderson briefly raised sprits when he evaded two challenges but dragged his effort well wide- His loan from Everton expired after the game; it was a very poor send-off.
Reds boss Simon Davey attempted to change things by throwing on Martin Devaney and Kim Christensen to go 3-4-3 but Hull wrapped up a thoroughly deserved victory as the game entered injury time with Souza again at fault.
He tussled with Hull sub Nicky Featherstone on the half-way line before the young striker broke away to leave Hull with a 2 on 1 in their favour. Featherstone then neatly slipped the ball to the unmarked Dean Marney and he emphatically smacked it through Muller's legs.
This was supposed to be the game Barnsley showed the SKY world how they had risen to a stunning 7th in the league. All it proved however was that it may all have been just a dream and that the critics' prediction of another season of struggle may well prove true.
Player Ratings:
Heinz Muller: Couldnt do anything about the goals really; will be bitterly disappointed with his defence. 6
Stephen Foster: Usually such a cultured and calm player, but was the main long ball culprit. Subbed.. 6
Dennis Souza: Has he got a twin?!? That was not the Souza we have come to know! In the previous 11 games he has looked the best defender in this league by a while. Last night he was the worst!!! At fault for all 3 goals and very very lucky to not get sent off for a disgraceful elbow on Fraizer Campbell. Everybody's allowed a bad game though hey? Booked. 3
Lewin Nyatanga: Along with Anderson and Souza completely bamboozled by Campbell for the second goal. Was probably our best defender on the night but that doesn't say very much. 6
Dominik Werling: Finally made a mess of one his free-kicks. About the only thing he did all night. Wasted on the left. 5
Jamal Campbell-Ryce: Probably our best player on the night. Pace made him dangerous. Still cannot cross to save his life though. Subbed. 7
Brian Howard: For the second game in a row, was a big disappointment. Starting to believe his own hype maybe? 5
Anderson de Silva: Worst performance so far but had The Reds only clear cut chance of the night after a wonderful run. 6
Grant McCann: Atrocious. Gave the ball away far too often and was out muscled easily. Subbed. 4 (spot on with that assessment Ali, I second it)
Kayode Odejayi: Primed for a stint in the reserves. So poor last night it was almost laughable! A target man that couldn't control the ball! 4
Miguel Mostto: Saturday's goal didn't help his confidence. Looked like a little boy lost again. 4
Subs:
Martin Devaney (for Grant McCann 61): Did more than the man he replaced and at least tried to get things going. 6
Kim Christensen (for Stephen Foster 68): Shock inclusion on the bench but couldn't impact on the game. 5
Rohan Ricketts (for Jamal Campbell-Ryce 81): One cross that was headed for a corner. 5
Unused: Colgan, Kozluk.
BarnsleyBoy's MOTM: Extremely hard to pick anybody out of such a woeful display but Campbell-Ryce was a flicker of light
Hull MOTM: Fraizer Campbell! Looks a star of the future for sure! Did to us what Nardiello did to Blackpool on his debut!!
Ref Watch: Andy D'Urso: Should really have sent Souza off but fairly good. 6