Credit: Imago

James Barker

Sun 24 May 2026 15:00, UK

Semi Ajayi played the full 90 minutes as the ex-West Bromwich Albion defender helped his Hull City side to a play-off final win over Middlesbrough.

Saturday saw the Championship’s headline day end with Hull beating Middlesbrough 1-0 in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium.

A baking hot afternoon in the capital appeared to impact the tempo of the match, as both teams battled with the scorching temperatures as well as one another.

However, it was the Tigers who eventually found the winning goal with 95 minutes on the clock, as Oli McBurnie swept the ball home from inside the six-yard box after Boro keeper Sol Brynn could only parry the cross straight into his path.

Hull are now heading to the Premier League, and for Ajayi, who was released by West Brom last summer, it’s now the second time in his career he’s won promotion to English football’s top flight.

How did Semi Ajayi fared for Hull City in 2025-26?

Upon the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Ajayi was not handed fresh terms by West Brom, bringing an end to his six years at The Hawthorns.

It wouldn’t take long for him to find his new home, however, as Ajayi signed for Hull last June, penning a two-year contract with the Tigers.

The Nigerian international had a mixed 2025-26 campaign at the MKM Stadium, having not instantly become a starting player for Hull.

However, the 32-year-old gradually saw his role increase as the season went on, and was well on his way to being a cemented starter before an untimely hamstring injury at the Africa Cup of Nations saw him sidelined between mid-January to early March.

Ajayi played a big part in Hull’s run-in though, playing the full 90 minutes in seven of his final eight regular season appearances, before doing the same in the play-off semi-final second leg and indeed the final respectively.

Overall, Ajayi played 24 times in the Championship this past season (including the play-offs), starting 20 of those, and he would no doubt have been involved significantly more if not for his aforementioned injury.

He was excellent in the play-off final too, playing his part in not allowing Middlesbrough to register a single shot on target in the match, despite the Teessiders enjoying 68 per cent of the possession.

Was releasing Ajayi a mistake by West Brom?

So, now a Premier League defender once again, there will be some West Brom fans wondering whether releasing Ajayi was a mistake.

The 2019-20 Albion promotion-winner has been a quality squad option for the Tigers, and his performances would suggest he still could’ve played that sort of role in B71 had he stayed for another year.

However, the signings of Nat Phillips, George Campbell, Krystian Bielik and Chris Mepham respectively saw Albion but a substantial amount of investment into the centre-back position.

Phillips and Campbell have been excellent signings, whilst Mepham and Bielik are both quality and proven players at Championship level too.

Therefore, whilst Ajayi has enjoyed a memorable 2025-26 season with Hull City, his West Brom release was understandable at the time, and that sentiment probably hasn’t changed for many Albion fans now either.