Fleetwood Town 4 Hull City 1: On-song Saunders fires Cod Army to three points

The on-fire 23-year-old forward has now scored six goals in three games as the rampant Cod Army climbed 15 places in the table after a stunning win.

Callum Camps and Sam Stubbs were also on target as Joey Barton’s side sparkled.

Skipper George Honeyman cancelled out Saunders’ 17th minute opener but the hosts ran riot after that.

Barton made six changes to the side which beat Aston Villa’s U21s 3-0 in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Tigers’ chief Grant McCann made one enforced change to his team with striker Josh Magennis away on international duty with Northern Ireland.

That meant Mallik Wilks was handed a starting berth, having returned from injury.

Saunders got the hosts off and running when he collected the ball on the halfway line, beat left-back Callum Elder for pace and smartly slotted underneath keeper Matt Ingram.

However, skipper Honeyman levelled for the Tigers with a point-blank finish.

Wilks had a close-range shot blocked by defender Harrison Holgate, but the ball fell favourably for Honeyman to blast home his second goal in three games.

Wilks had earlier seen a deflected shot saved by Town keeper Jayson Leutwiler and Keane Lewis-Potter picked out the top right corner with a stunning strike, but his goal was ruled out for offside in the build-up.

Town’s experienced hitman Ched Evans had two shots blocked inside the box as the hosts played their part in a lively start, while at the other end, Honeyman’s inswinging corner cannoned off Callum Camps and struck the bar.

Honeyman blazed a free-kick well over from a good position before Wilks had a penalty appeal turned down after a tussle with defender Sam Stubbs.

Wes Burns had a shot charged down and Evans rifled into the side netting from an acute angle.

Ingram produced a fine low save to thwart Saunders at the back post from Danny Andrew’s perfect pass, while Evans had a penalty appeal turned down after a clash with Wilks.

Camps gave the Cod Army the perfect start to the second half when he fired into the corner after a careless pass from Honeyman.

His blind pass fell to Saunders, who teed up Camps to bag his fifth goal in nine matches in all competitions this term.

It got even better for Barton’s charges as Saunders scored his second of the evening, slotting home at the back post from a Ched Evans cross.

Defender Stubbs, the son of former Everton defender Alan, added to the tally, powering a header beyond Ingram from captain Paul Coutts’ inch-perfect cross.

Saunders could have had his second hat-trick in as many games but was thwarted by a stunning save from Ingram inside the six-yard box.

Defender Jordy De Wijs should have pulled a goal back in injury-time, but he blazed over at the back post

It summed up the Tigers’ miserable night as their four-game unbeaten run was emphatically ended.

Fleetwood Town: Leutwiler, Andrew, Whelan, Burns, Evans (Duffy 90), Camps, Coutts (Matete 89), Madden, Saunders (Hill 88), Stubbs, Holgate. Subs not used: Cairns, McKay, Garner, Rydel.

Hull City: Ingram, Elder, De Wijs, Burke, Wilks (Samuelsen 87), Batty (Mayer 56), Honeyman, Emmanuel, Adelakun (Slater 76), Lewis-Potter, Docherty. Subs not used: Long, Coyle, Jones, Chadwick.

Referee: Ollie Yates.