HULL City boss Steve Bruce was full of praise for Accrington Stanley after his Championship side scraped through to the second round of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night.

The Tigers twice led in extra time only for John Coleman’s side to twice haul themselves level and send the tie to penalties after the 90 minutes finished goalless.

In the end Matt Crooks missed the decisive spot kick as Hull progressed 4-3 on spot kicks.

And Bruce said he was impressed by the Reds, who beat Middlesbrough in this competition last season.

“It was certainly hard work and if you don’t approach it right, how many times have we seen it (a cup shock)?” said Bruce.

“We were a little bit lackadaisical and didn’t play the game at the pace we should have. We played it a bit like a pre-season friendly and sometimes that happens when you go to places like Accrington.

“But let’s give credit to Accrington. It’s never an easy place to come to, and they played really well. They were full of energy and had bags of spirit in their side. They were excellent and took us right to the wire. They just wouldn’t go away.

“At times, I thought we were looking comfortable and had a couple of chances to win the game – both in normal time and in extra time. Unfortunately, we didn’t take them and it ended up going to the lottery that is penalties.

“It had the potential to be one of those awkward nights that could’ve been quite embarrassing but thankfully we got the job done in the end.”