 By this stage, financial problems were taking their toll on the Tigers and it was starting to look as though the club would go out of business before long.And Hull's league form was steadily deteriorating to the point that relegation to the Conference was looking a real possibility – which surely would have meant the death of the club.The 1997–98 season would prove to be arguably the worst in the club's history, with the club earning just 41 points; any other season this would almost certainly have seen Hull relegated to the Football Conference, but Brighton and Hove Albion and Doncaster Rovers both had unbelievably poor campaigns, and instead it was Doncaster who were relegated, with Hull recording their lowest ever finish in 22nd place.