Matt Crooks sends Regan Slater contract demand to Hull City after play-off win | OneFootball

Matt Crooks has shared a cheeky message with Regan Slater following Hull City's Championship play-off triumph over Millwall

Matt Crooks has celebrated Hull City's Championship play-off semi-final triumph over Millwall by sharing a cheeky message with teammate Regan Slater.

Crooks and Slater both starred in midfield as the Tigers beat the Lions 2-0 at The Den on Monday night to book their place in Wembley's play-off final.

Sergej Jakirovic's men were held to a 0-0 draw by Alex Neil's side at the MKM Stadium in Friday's first leg, but emerged victorious in South London on Monday, thanks to goals from Mohamed Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt.

Hull will face the winner of the other play-off semi-final, being played between Southampton and Middlesbrough, at Wembley Stadium on 23 May.

Matt Crooks shares Hull City contract message with Regan Slater as Tigers defeat Millwall in Championship play-offs

Millwall were the favourites to beat Jakirovic's side in the Championship play-offs, as the Lions finished third, just one point behind the automatic promotion spots, whereas the Tigers snuck into the top six on the final day of the regular season.

However, Hull were the better side at The Den on Monday, with Belloumi causing the Lions backline several problems after replacing the injured Kyle Joseph.

At the other end of the pitch, defenders Charlie Hughes, John Egan, and Semi Ajayi kept the likes of Femi Azeez and Josh Coburn quiet, as Jakirovic's decision to switch to a back three for the encounter at The Den proved to be an inspired choice.

Hughes and Egan were also vital in possession, helping the Tigers build attacks from the back.

Meanwhile, following Hull's triumph over Millwall, Crooks posted a photo alongside midfield partner Slater on his Instagram story, with the caption: "10 more years."

The Tigers exercised their option to extend the 26-year-old's contract until the summer of 2027 last month, but the former Middlesbrough man clearly wants him to stay longer than that.

Slater successfully joined Hull's attacks on Monday, while Crooks registered the assist for Belloumi's opening goal, albeit the winger had plenty of work to do to score after picking up the ball.

Hull may prefer to face Southampton rather than Middlesbrough in Championship play-off final following regular season results

Hull shouldn't fear either Middlesbrough or Southampton in the Championship play-off final, having got the better of a Millwall outfit who came agonisingly close to securing automatic promotion to the Premier League.

The Tigers have done admirably well to restore some momentum, having snuck into the top six despite enduring a six-game winless run before defeating Norwich City 2-1 on the final day of the regular season.

However, Jakirovic's men may prefer to face Southampton than Middlesbrough at Wembley, even though the Saints have been in resurgent form in recent months.

The Tigers enjoyed the double over the Saints during the regular Championship season, defeating them 2-1 at St Mary's Stadium in January and 3-1 at the MKM Stadium in September.

In contrast, Hull did beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium in late December, but they also suffered a 4-1 defeat to Boro on home soil earlier in the same month.

Having done the double over Southampton in the regular season, the Tigers have a psychological advantage over the Saints, but the same can't be said about Kim Hellberg's side.