Hull City hero's wild summer - 'I didn't expect going 105mph listening to Tupac'

Wembley hero Oli McBurnie admits spending part of his summer cruising along the Turkish coast at 105 miles an hour, listening to Tupac, was not quite how he envisaged things playing out.

Amid a manic period where he's been revelling in the glory of Hull City's play-off final victory over Middlesbrough, arguably one of his highlights was spending some time with owner Acun Ilicali, but he says getting to know the charismatic Turkish businessman has been something he'll cherish forever.

McBurnie, along with the rest of the squad that secured promotion to the Premier League in such dramatic fashion, has been riding the crest of a wave since that breathtaking achievement back in May.

Perhaps for the man who fired the winning goal to break Boro's hearts, his off-season may just be a little different, given his experience of Ilicali's unique hospitality.

"I was lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks with the boss in Turkey and in Greece, so that was really nice of him," McBurnie says as he reflects on one of his more enjoyable summer breaks during City's pre-season training camp in Slovenia.

"Me and the family went out there, so that was good. I got to know Acun a bit more on a personal level as well, which was nice for me to see. It was as hospitable as you can imagine. I had a really good time with the family. I got away with the boys, played golf in Scotland, and got away with the lads for a couple of days to Vegas as well.

"It was nice and busy, I didn't spend much time at home, but it was really good to recharge and decompress after a real slog of the season that ended in a great way."

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As with all the players and staff, taking a moment at Wembley to enjoy the moment with their nearest and dearest was crucial, and amid the wild celebrations, it was no different for the striker.

"Definitely (you want to enjoy those moments with family), I think as you get older, you kind of appreciate those moments more and understand. When you're 20 and 21, you think that that stuff happens all the time, and obviously, as you get older, you realise it doesn't, and those moments are very few and far between.

"Even getting to spend them with your family and stuff, the couple of days when after Wembley when we went out and had a few days in Hull, and a couple of drinks, getting to speak to some of the fans and hearing their experiences of the day and how much it meant to all of them and their own experiences and them sharing their stories with us was such a nice feeling for us as well. Then you can appreciate the magnitude of the day and of the season that we've had.

"Them coming up and saying it's the best day of their lives is a crazy experience for us to have. Being there together and hearing that and then having the conversations, them showing us videos from the day and showing their experience saying this is what we did, we did this, and this happened, and it was really nice to see that side of it. I'm really glad we did that. Then afterwards, spending it with our families and friends over the summer was really good."

After the various trips immediately after the season finished, McBurnie and his family were guests of Acun Ilicali at his holiday home on the Turkish coast, and it was an experience the Scotsman, nor his wife, Niamh, will not forget in a hurry.

"I loved it, it was brilliant," he continued. "I didn't know what to expect when I went out there. I just left everything to him.

"There were no plans, that's the Acun way. We literally turned up in Istanbul, and then we were at his mercy; we went wherever he went, and I did not expect to be driving down the Turkish sea at 105 miles an hour listening to Tupac, but I really enjoyed it. I think me and the boss are quite similar in the way we look at life, a lot of our opinions and things. I got on with him really well, I really enjoyed his time and seeing that side of him was really nice.

"When he's in at the training ground, you only get little glimpses and a couple of minutes here and there, but spending some real quality time with him and his beautiful family. We got on really well with his daughter, her husband, and his grandkids.

One of his grandkids was (born) two days apart from my youngest, so having the kids playing with each other and stuff was really nice. I really enjoyed the whole summer, but I didn't expect to be driving down the sea that quickly listening to Tupac.

"His music taste is really good, actually. That's one thing my wife said to me. She said she wanted his playlist, so Acun gave her his playlist from the speedboat."

It's not every day a player at the top level gets to holiday with the owner of a football club, but McBurnie says spending quality time with Ilicali further hammered home just how much of a mark City has made on the Turkish businessman.

"I've always kind of got on well with owners, I think the Las Palmas president was kind of similar. He would always invite me to his houses in the south and stuff for a drink.

"I don't know what it is, and he barely spoke English either as well. I spoke Spanish towards the end, but even at the start, I don't know why it was.

"Of course, it's uncommon, and it just shows the person that Acun is. Everyone knows him around the place, but I really get on with him on a personal level, and not just on a professional level, and I think that can only be a positive thing.

"I knew how much the club already meant to him before I went away, but then speaking to all his family and his friends and how much of a big occasion it was for them. His daughter (Banu) and his daughter's son-in-law and his best friends telling me it was up there with the best days they've had is not something you really think about, so, again, just one of those things showing the magnitude of that day for everyone involved.

"The number of Turkish people I met while I was over there, when I was staying in different parts around the country, watching the game. Acun was telling me there was seven million people in Turkey watching that game alone, which was crazy, so I think there's definitely a few new Hull City fans out in Turkey."

Many people questioned McBurnie's decision to join City 12 months ago, especially given the club had just survived on goal difference and had been hit with a flurry of transfer sanctions.

McBurnie was steadfast in his belief that the Tigers could have success, but now a year on, he maintains there was a steely confidence inside the dressing room that they could challenge, and so it proved.

"I genuinely did believe that, and probably looking back on it now is probably a naive way of looking at it, and in my head, and in the lad's heads, there was genuinely that confidence that we could do it," he continued.

"There were a number of factors why we thought we could do it, but then saying we can do it and having the option to do it, and actually going and doing it are two different things, especially in that division.

"And the way that we did it, I don't think anyone could have written it that way. From the start I genuinely believed that we had enough quality in that dressing room, I genuinely believed we had enough characters in that dressing room and I genuinely believed that it was the best time to be in the Championship for a long time.

"There was no real standout team that was going to run away with it like there often is, and that showed; no one would have ever said Coventry would have won the league by however many points.

"I don't think many people would have said we'd have gone up via the play-offs, so I think for the first time in a couple of years, it was probably more wide open than it would have been. There were so many factors, which is why I thought we would have a good chance.

"Having a good chance and going out and doing it the way we did, it's completely different things, and it's a testament to the boys and all the staff, how good they were through the good and the bad times last season."

There was a host of iconic pictures that were taken by the throng of photographers at Wembley, but one shot from behind the goal as McBurnie turned the ball home was breathtaking.

Even the mention of it brings a huge smile to McBurnie's face, but at the moment, he's not had it installed in his house.

"When I look at that photo, it takes me back to that feeling of, obviously, not the exact same feeling, but I remember feeling how good that moment was and how surreal that moment was at the time.

"I can remember my body mechanisms. I remember I was wrestling with the defender beforehand, and it was annoying cos I'd been doing it for the whole game, but it helped me because instead of him looking at the ball, he was worried about me wrestling him, and I've gambled one way. I just remember thinking that's there now, and just swinging my left foot and actually getting really good contact on it.

"The next thing I remember, I've never scored a goal where I'm celebrating in front of the opposition fans, and I'm not getting absolute pelters and hate, w*nker signs and fingers up.

"All I could see was this genuine heartbreak and disappointment, the life go out of them. It was the first time that's ever happened to me. They were just sad. They weren't angry. They were just gutted, and I've never really had that before, so that'll always stick in my mind. Then, after that, I can't really remember much of the game left. I just remember us grinding and being knackered.

"The shirt (came) off, yeah, that was not my fondest memory. That was not my proudest moment, but I think I can be excused for that."

While City's players were celebrating what proved to be the winning goal at the Middlesbrough end, there was bedlam at the opposite end of Wembley, with 35,000 in black and amber going potty. Still, some of that remains a blur to a player forever etched in Tigers folklore.

"Sort of, it's just that much of a blur. I can remember before the goal more than I can after the goal. I can remember the build-up," he admitted, when asked if he could recall the roar as his effort hit the back of the net, 95 minutes into the final.

"I remember Semi (Ajayi) playing into me, and me playing out wide to Yu (Hirakawa), and then the next minute I remember is me kicking a ball in the net. After that, it's kind of a bit of a blur until I look into the Middlesbrough fans. Just devastation. I remember walking back, and then as I'm walking back, that's when I can see all the Hull fans going crazy.

"Acun said to me, 'It's the best moment in my professional life', cos if you say the best moment in your actual life, then your missus goes crazy about it. It's a good way of putting it, so I've taken that one from Acun, and I'm gonna use that one."

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