Leon Knight must be sick of the sight of Phil Joslin.

A couple of seasons ago he was booked by the Nottinghamshire referee at QPR, supposedly for play-acting. Knight was the victim of another controversial decision by Joslin which helped promoted Hull on their way to a flattering first win in the Championship.

He was about to connect with a pass from Richard Carpenter inside the Albion half when Craig Fagan, sneaking in from behind, fouled him before advancing towards the area.

Knight was still on the ground, in need of treatment, when a long range drive from Ryan France found the roof of the net via a slight deflection, giving Hull a 40th minute lead they scarcely deserved.

Manager Mark McGhee did not mince his words. "I thought it was a stinking decision," he said. "Leon was on the ball, the boy caught him from behind and whether it was accidental or not it was still a free-kick."

It was the key incident of a frustrating afternoon for Albion which emphasised the dilemma facing McGhee over Knight's role in the side.

He began, for the second match running, in the middle of a three-man midfield, Jake Robinson replacing Sebastien Carole on the right in the only change to the team which drew at home to Crewe.

Knight started after the break in the substituted Robinson's position before resuming up front alongside Mark McCammon, the other half of a double change at the midway point which also saw Colin Kazim-Richards give way to Alexis Nicolas.

The problem for McGhee is that Knight cannot be in two places at once. He needs the little man's craft and creativity in midfield but he also needs his goal threat further forward.

That is where Albion are falling short. There is not too much wrong with the football they are playing, they are just lacking a cutting edge.

McGhee indicated that he is now likely to return to the 4-4-2 he finished with, rather than persevering with 4-3-3, which seems to have improved matters in the centre of the park at the expense of the isolated Kazim-Richards.

"We played in the same shape (4-3-3) that we passed the ball well in but maybe we are not going to score enough goals playing that way," McGhee said. "It's getting the balance right.

"We feel we have got to have the right numbers in midfield to pass the ball and cope with the opposition.

"Equally we have got to give ourselves a chance to score a goal. It's part of the learning process with the squad we have got at the moment.

"We are missing Federico (Turienzo), who was bought to play the role that Colin tried to play. Colin had a difficult time. He was against two strong boys and the referee gave him no help whatsoever.

"He's only 18 and maybe we asked too much of him. It's important we pick him up. Colin is a good player and we believe he is going to be a great player.

"We've got to be fair to him and I asked him to do a job which clearly was just a bit too much for him on the day."

Robinson is another exciting young prospect who needs to be nurtured carefully. Too many supporters are getting too carried away about him.

His first-half performance down the right flank after starring there for the Reserves justified McGhee's general belief that his best position at present is on the bench, although he didn't see enough of the ball in advanced areas.

"I was a bit disappointed for Jake. I cannot say I was absolutely disappointed in him," McGhee observed. "He did a reasonable job, although a couple of times he switched off in defensive situations."

Albion became more threatening once McCammon, making his first appearance since his half-time row with McGhee at Burnley towards the end of last season, and Knight were operating in tandem.

McCammon's physical presence upset the Hull defence but he snatched at a shooting chance provided by the accomplished Paul McShane before crossing for Knight to head wide a good opportunity.

Hull's second goal three minutes from time was almost an irrelevance. The Seagulls were throwing so many men forward in a desperate attempt to make their second half superiority count that they were left hopelessly outnumbered at the back, substitute Ben Burgess slotting the rebound after his initial effort hit a post.

A draw would have been a fair result. The worry is that Albion have now taken only one point from Hull and Crewe, both of whom based on their performances against the Seagulls seem certain to struggle.

Peter Taylor's team were very ordinary. The old Albion boss induced a foul-mouthed response from travelling fans by pointing to the impressive surroundings of the KC Stadium after hearing he "should have stayed with a big club."

It did not stop Taylor admitting Knight was fouled by Fagan in the build-up to the opening goal, or from offering a genuine assessment of his former charges.

"They were very difficult to get the ball off in midfield with Leon Knight in there," he said.

"I think he's a very dangerous player, and McCammon also looked dangerous when he came on. Charlie Oatway did some good things and Chippy (Richard Carpenter) was fantastic. Some of his passing really hurt us."

  • Matchfacts
  • - Shots on goal: Albion 2, Hull 4.

- Shots off goal: Albion 6, Hull 6.

- Corners: Albion 6, Hull 5.

- Offside: Albion 6, Hull 5.

- Free-kicks: Albion 16, Hull 12.

  • Albion bookings: Kazim-Richards (37) foul, Knight (77) dissent.
  • Hull bookings: Idiakez (45) dissent.
  • Albion scorers: None.
  • Hull scorers: France (40), Burgess (87).