Grant McCann celebrated what may well turn out to be a unique achievement in his management career as Hull came from behind to record a deserved 3-1 Sky Bet League One victory at Bristol Rovers

On the hour, with the Tigers a goal down, the manager sent on Keane Lewis-Potter, Regan Slater and Tom Eaves in a triple substitution – and then saw all three score to clinch the points.

“I have never seen that happen anywhere before, let alone to me,” he said. “For all three subs to score, having gone on at the same time, was incredible.

Lewis-Potter equalised with a 63rd-minute header, Slater shot home from close range 13 minutes later and Eaves latched onto a poor back pass to net in stoppage-time.

Hull had fallen behind to a second-minute shot from James Daly, but – after the game – McCann was all smiles about the effectiveness of his substitutions.

He added: “Before the game I told the players in the starting line-up to leave nothing out on the pitch because we had lads on the bench capable of taking over and making a difference.

“That’s what happened. We made the worse possible start to the game, conceding so early, but I felt we defended well other than that and were in control for much of the first half without making it count.

“In the end, I’m pleased with the result and the performance. We have to make use of our squad with such a busy programme and we have a strong bench.

“Rovers were on a decent run (four league matches unbeaten) going into the match, so it was never going to be easy.”

Home manager Ben Garner was far from despondent and said: “I didn’t think there was much in the game and the scoreline flattered Hull.

“We showed we are not a million miles away from the top sides in the division and we are making progress.

“Perhaps we were a bit naive at times but we got off to a great start with a great finish from James Daly and had some really good periods of play.

“We had a great chance to make it 2-0 just before half-time and if we had gone in two up, I am sure we would have gone on to win.

“That is not a criticism of Zain Westbrooke, who has done well to get into the scoring position, but we have to be a bit more cut-throat in front of goal.

“Hull have come down from the Championship and have a fantastic squad. When you look at their bench, they have real quality there.

“We felt we should have been awarded a free-kick in the build-up to their second goal and it made a big difference.”