By the end a match had broken out and something resembling an atmosphere had drifted into the ghost ship otherwise known as the KCOM stadium.

By the end Marco Silva had enjoyed his first match and his first victory as Hull City manager – and Paul Clement had suffered his first defeat in charge of Swansea.

By the end Hull were into the fourth round of the FA Cup. Progress came courtesy of Abel Hernandez’s first goal since August and a sweetly struck drive in injury-time from 17 year-old Josh Tymon, his first for the club.

So there was something here. Just not many people.

Ki tries to force a breakthrough for Swansea (Getty)

Officially 6,608 turned up and, momentous as it was for the two clubs’ new managers – and the two scorers - this was as much about Hull’s missing. In a ground that holds 25,000, it was literally and metaphorically soulless.

“With a good atmosphere, it’s better for sure,” Silva said, tip-toeing around a sensitive issue, one that he could do without. “I hope in the next match against Bournemouth there will be more people in the stadium. We need help.”

Silva was buttressed by a solid result and an assured second-half performance. A home defeat in his first game would have been damaging for him and would have torn another bit off Hull City.

The long and ongoing fans’ protest at the running of the club by the Allam family had brought its first boycott. It fulfilled its aim.

Marco Silva took charge of Hull for the first time (Getty)

Silva must have been wondering, he was not even afforded an introduction before kick-off. The man with the microphone did salute “the start of a new era” and, fooling no-one, “the magic of the FA Cup”, but there was no mention of Hull’s new manager even though he was five yards away.

Instead the 39 year-old Portuguese stared into the emptiness. The North Stand had been closed and likewise the top tier of the main stand. When the game began you could hear individual shouts, from the pitch as well as the crowd.

After four minutes there was at least some collective noise: “We want Allam out!” they chanted.

On a day marked by absenteeism, the owners had no presence in the thin match programme, no column welcoming Silva, nor one thanking Mike Phelan, another of the disappeared.

There were not many in attendance at the KCOM Stadium (Getty)

There were, however, 17 pages on Swansea.

And it was a moment for Clement in his career, too, the first time he had strode up a tunnel as Swansea manager. After his cameo role at Crystal Palace on Tuesday, this was Clement’s full debut, so to speak.

Like Silva, he made enforced changes; like Silva he was underwhelmed by the first half. Ki Sung-Yeung almost scored eight minutes in with an improvised volley, but that was Swansea’s only effort on target before the interval.

Hull had the same total – Sam Clucas drilling a low 32nd minute shot at Kristoffer Nordfeldt.

Paul Clement was in the dugout for the second time as Swansea manager (Getty)

“It surprised me, I expected a bigger crowd, more atmosphere,” Clement said. “It was very strange. I think it did affect the intensity of our play in the first half.”

Thankfully, and mainly down to Hull, the second half improved.

Eldin Jakupovic made a useful block from Swansea’s Nathan Dyer ten minutes after the break and on 74 minutes Ki hit a post.

But otherwise this was about Hull’s clean passing, Robert Snodgrass being involved frequently. It was also about the home side’s substitutes.

Hernandez, after two months out came on just past the hour and looked lively. Shaun Maloney followed and it was the Scot who teed up the Uruguayan to score the decisive opener from six yards.

That brought some crackle into the stadium and after a brief flurry of pressure by the visitors, Snodgrass broke away in injury-time and found another substitute, Tymon. From 20 yards the teenager buried a diagonal shot off the far post.

Quickly the whistle blew. Silva shook hands with Clement but there were no waves, no gestures. Silva had spoken of “miracles’ on Friday: it was hardly that, but it’s a start.

Teams

Hull City (4-4-2): Jakupovic; Meyler, Dawson (Maloney 70) Livermore, Robertson; Henriksen (Hernandez 63) Huddlestone, Mason, Clucas; Diomande (Tymon 89) Snodgrass

Subs not used: Marshall, Clackstone, Bowen, Weir

Swansea City (4-3-3): Norfedlt; Naughton, Fernandez, Van der Hoorn, Kingsley (Rangel 67); Ki, Cork, Fer; Dyer (Routledge 63), Borja (Llorente 63) Sigurdsson

Subs not used: Fabianksi, Amat, Britton, Fulton