Play-offs like winning title for Hull - Jakirovic

Sergej Jakirovic will lead Hull City for the 50th time in Friday's play-off semi-final against Millwall [Shutterstock]

Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic has said reaching the Championship play-offs "feels like winning the league".

The Tigers, who face Millwall in the first leg of their semi-final on Friday, spent the majority of the season in the top six but a run of six games without a win meant they went into the final match behind sixth-placed Wrexham on goal difference.

Jakirovic's men came from a goal down to beat Norwich, while the Red Dragons could only draw with Middlesbrough.

"I feel excellent, this is a big achievement for us. I feel like we won the league," he told BBC Radio Humberside.

"It's been a long season and very interesting and, like I said, everything was decided in the last round."

He added: "I didn't sleep good because of all the emotions but in the morning [after] I felt good. It's a big success for us of course."

The former Bosnia and Herzegovina international took over in the summer after Ruben Selles was sacked last May as they avoided relegation to League One on goal difference.

This is Jakirovic's first season managing in England after spells in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Turkey.

He said that his side's experience from their must-win game with the Canaries on Saturday would stand them in good stead for the play-offs.

"It will be much easier for us to play this because you have two games, so if you are not so good in the first game you can fix some problems but in the last round you don't have time and you must win the game and still you don't know if you are in the play-offs. That was huge pressure," he said.

"We showed great mentality, especially when we were 1-0 down and it was a crucial moment when we equalised immediately."