 Lloyd stepped down as chairman that summer and was replaced by Nick Buchanan, while Hateley departed in November 1998 to be replaced by 34-year-old veteran player Warren Joyce, who steered the club to safety after being anchored to the foot of the table – Hull City fans refer to this season as "The Great Escape".After this feat, Joyce was perhaps unlucky to be replaced in April 2000 by the experienced Brian Little.Little breathed new life into Hull and managed to get good results out of the players, despite briefly being locked out of Boothferry Park by the bailiffs and with liquidation looking a real possibility.