(OG)

We're doing well for own goals this season. Four have gone our way so far and it's only December.

Phil Neville headed a corner into his own net at the KC to put City two up against Everton; Noe Pamarot helped a late noser from Dean Windass into the net to earn the Tigers a late draw at Portsmouth; Middlesbrough keeper Ross Turnbull's head diverted a Bernard Mendy shot back into the net at the KC after it initially rebounded from a post; then Jamie Carragher scuffed Mendy's cross into the wrong net at Liverpool.

One more own goal will equal a joint club record of five in a single season. Hull City's iconic 1966 team that won the Third Division title were assisted by five own goals, two of which contributed to six-goal hauls. It's quite perverse to suggest that a team containing Ken Wagstaff, Chris Chilton and Ken Houghton (27, 25 and 22 goals respectively) somehow needed assistance, but on at least one occasion it was the case - a Christmas victory over Millwall at Boothferry Park, where the solitary goal of the game was scored by an embarrassed member of the opposition.

The other season with five own goals was the 2001 play-off campaign under Brian Little, two of which came in the same game against Cardiff City as City won thanks wholly to Danny Gabbidon and David Greene finding their own net.

The pre-war era seems to represent a dearth of own goals. The "best" was three in City's 1931 season, at the end of which City came sixth in the old Division Three (North).

My favourite own goal in City's favour came in Peter Taylor's final season, the 2006 Championship campaign. Ryan France crossed a little too deeply, and Wolves left back Rob Edwards, for reasons he'd never be able to explain, chose not to let the ball drift out of play but instead tried to clear the ball over his own head. He proceeded to spoon a horrific (but amusing) hook over both himself and his goalkeeper from an acute angle to get an underwhelming City level at 2-2, although Wolves ultimately still left the KC as 3-2 victors. The incident was as memorable for Glenn Hoddle's crazy reaction in the technical area as for the weirdness of the own goal itself.

I would suggest, without any science to back me up, that four own goals in our favour is another line of proof of City's worthiness in the Premier League. While Pamarot was just in the wrong place and Turnbull the victim of freakish circumstances, certainly the Neville and Carragher own goals were scored because of intense pressure each were put under by something good from the Tigers - a beastly, whipping corner kick and Mendy's glorious, flowing run and cross respectively - and that can be added to our list of applaudable virtues this season.

Hull City. Good at making Premier League defenders throw wobblers and find their own net. I like that.