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It’s a big week for Grant McCann’s Hull City as they entertain Sunderland on Tuesday evening in their biggest game of the season visiting Lincoln City on Saturday.
Three points against Sunderland should be enough to all but clinch automatic promotion but depending on results elsewhere, the champagne may well be popped tomorrow evening.
If that the scenario doesn’t work out and the Tigers can extend their eleven games unbeaten run to include wins over Sunderland and Lincoln this coming week, they should be celebrating come next Saturday teatime
Whilst the Wearsiders looked to be City’s biggest threat a couple of weeks ago, with three games in hand over the Tigers, their wobble in form (including three back to back defeats) has left City well and truly in pole position.
Not that any of this talk will interest Grant McCann. The Northern Irishman has continually maintained that his focus has very much been on the next game, playing down any suggestions of getting ahead of themselves despite enjoying another home win over Fleetwood Town.
McCann has been adamant about the potentially wasted energy on second-guessing points scenario’s and worrying about what others sides have been doing, leaving that to the media to speculate.
“I actually walked out of a math exam when I was 15 years of age, so I’m not gonna start trying to do maths now.
“Until it’s mathematically possible for us to be where we want to be, then we will just approach the game, like we have every other game this season.
We’ll prepare right, we’ll make sure that the boys recover properly from the weekend”
For a side that carries the weight of great expectation, coming down from the Championship and under pressure to secure anything but promotion, there are currently no signs of any jitters on Humberside.
Posed with the problem of having to cope without George Honeyman on Saturday, City still had plenty of options particularly with the form of Keane Lewis-Potter on the Tiger’s left side of attack. Target man, Josh Magennis has also been in excellent form in recent weeks.
For the criticism that McCann has faced over the season, his side is currently playing with a collective consistency and showing no signs of relenting. With the prize now in touching distance, there’ll be no chance that he’ll be looking to deviate from that plan.
Overcoming hurdles haven’t been alien throughout the campaign, after losing influential skipper Richie Smallwood in January through injury, Hull have coped with little difficulty. Between Alfie Jones and Regan Slater filling that void, City if anything, have improved their level of performance in midfield with Greg Docherty’s elevated form.
Even with the injury of Reece Burke, a consistent performer at the heart of the Hull defence, McCann’s side have still been undeterred. The pack has been shuffled accordingly and the Tigers look as strong if not stronger.
Now unbeaten in their last eleven outings, with four successive victories behind them, City are the form team in the division and can put a final nail in Sunderland’s automatic chances on Tuesday.
Sunderland supporters will be scratching their heads with their downturn in form having secured the Papa John’s Trophy against Tranmere Rovers just over a month ago. Since then, the Wearsiders have stuttered only managing three wins and look to have thrown their automatic promotion hopes out of the window following another disappointing defeat at Blackpool over the weekend.
Having had the seeds of doubt sewn in their last three defeats, Lee Johnson’s men are on the ropes and need to recover quickly but speaking post-Blackpool, Johnson is not panicking yet.
It’s not the time to be ultra-critical of players. The criticism has come in the previous games due to switching off but it’s a mistake that cost us (against Blackpool) and that’s it.”
“It looks now that it is going to be extremely difficult to get into that top two, which is very disappointing after putting so much effort into getting there.
“Now we have to secure that second chance, but keep going and building performances because you never know it might still happen because there are still 15 points to play for.”
A conundrum however awaits Johnson in his team selection on Tuesday as to how he tries to arrest the current slump. Does he give up on the prospect of getting second place and freshen things up with the playoffs almost secure or does he hope that a statement win at the league leaders will reinvigorate much-needed belief?
Not that it’s all doom and gloom, Sunderland still possess the league’s second top scorer in Charlie Wyke on 23 goals and if City catches Aiden McGeady on a good night, they could well be licking their wounds with the 35-year old Irishman having six goals and 13 assists to his name this season.
On paper, there isn’t much between the sides but McCann’s men have better dealt with the weight of expectation that can hamper the progress of a ‘big’ clubs trying to find their way out of League One.
It promises to be quite the battle at the top of League One with all very much to play for.
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