Hull City go in search of vital three points as owners entice new and old supporters back

Hull City will look to build on a promising away performance and result at promotion-chasing Queens Park Rangers as they take on bottom of the league Barnsley.

Victory on Tuesday could see the Tigers extend the gap to the relegation zone to 16 points, and with the Tykes still in search of their first away win of the season, it will be a big night at the MKM Stadium.

Not that it has been a quiet previous month for the Humberside club as new owner Acun Ilicali gets his feet under the table with changes now taking shape in terms of the direction he wants the club to go in and the personnel needed to get him there.

Grant McCann was the immediate casualty of the Turkish ownership having been relieved of his duties following impressive wins against Blackburn and Fulham. With Hull looking to secure Championship status, it may have been viewed as a gamble to appoint Georgian manager Shota Arveladze whose only taste of football on these shores was north of the border at Glasgow Rangers in a playing capacity.

With Derby County making a real fist of their survival hopes, including a 3-1 win against the Tigers, Arveladze’s men are yet to guarantee their safety. They have started to bounce back from that disappointing evening at Pride Park, which followed a home defeat to Preston.

There has been a positive reaction in recent performances against both Fulham (1-0 defeat) and Sheffield United (a goalless draw) before the draw at the weekend, suggesting that new information from their new manager is being taken on board quickly.

Without uprooting the work ethic that has seen them claw their way out of the relegation zone following a disappointing run of defeats in the opening quarter, there is absolutely no reason why the Tigers should not be looking up the table rather than over their shoulders.

With one or two new faces still bedding in with their new manager, Finnish striker Marcus Forss was delighted to grab his first goal against QPR to open his goal account for the club. Speaking to the club website, the Brentford loanee has his eyes firmly fixed on picking up points with Hull’s season still in the balance.

“It’s important for a striker to get off the mark, but the main talking point is that we got another point so personally I am very proud to have scored, but the point is the most important thing.

“There was a chance for us [to get a win], but the way QPR put pressure on us made it very difficult to earn three points.

“That can happen but we have to look at how we can improve from the performance and take it into Tuesday against Barnsley.”

The air of optimism is very much abundant around the club. With the departure of the Allam family, new ticketing prices look to entice back those supporters that had become disenchanted with the club’s direction in recent years.

Hull’s players achieved promotion without supporters inside. As the discontent grew with the previous owners and management, this group has still not had the full support of the home faithful. It is predicted that the Tigers may well record their highest attendance of the season on Tuesday against Barnsley, with 15,000 fans expected to attend the fixture against the lowly Tykes.

“It’s been a promising start. It’s refreshing to see an owner actively taking an interest in the club, its fans and the city as a whole.

“They’ve got a struggle raising attendance numbers next season given the recent rise in energy prices and not so many with disposable income.” – Ant Northgraves, Hull City supporter

With tickets priced as low as £2 for specific age groups, Brandon Fleming, speaking to the local press, fully endorsed fans taking advantage of the offer and getting themselves back into the MKM Stadium to make the difference in securing safety sooner rather than later.

Fleming has made the most of his limited first-team chances in the previous 18 months and has impressed at left-back as Arveladze reshuffled his pack to a back four.

“It’s so important that the fans make use of the offers that have been put out there, with the cheap tickets. You’re not going to go anywhere and watch Championship football for that price.

“They’ve given us really good backing and it gives you a boost which sometimes you need as a player when you might be under the cosh.  You might make a good tackle and the crowd are behind you, it gives you an extra push that you sometimes need.

“It’s a big game, we want to take the three points but equally, we don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves.”

There may be a further opportunity for 19-year-old goalkeeper Harvey Cartwright to continue in the Tigers goal after he had to come on as a second-half substitute for Matt Ingram who left the field unconscious on Saturday.

The youngster impressed despite conceding a 75th-minute equalizer from Ilias Chair and drew plaudits from his coach when asked how he felt he handled the pressure on his debut.

“Brilliant, he did well under big pressure. He did a good job and I want to congratulate him.

“Just a day before the transfer deadline we had the chance to loan him out but the coaches were very strong on him staying. Now he got his debut and I believe he’s a happy boy, as we are.”

With Nathan Baxter still out injured, it is looking likely that Cartwright will be handed his full league debut on Tuesday in a fixture that the Tigers should be looking to record an important victory.

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