The Tigers play their first home game of the season on Sunday afternoon
Barry is the Hull City correspondent, and previously covered Nottingham Forest for the Nottingham Post/Nottinghamshire Live. Barry has reported on Hull City’s League One title success and Championship campaigns
(Image: Phil Bryan/Shutterstock)
Hull City’s supporters will arrive at the MKM Stadium on Sunday with renewed hope and optimism about the season ahead, but they’ll also have an element of nervousness at the back of their minds.
For those fans who have watched City on home soil since their return to the Championship, they will know how stressful and ultimately disappointing that has been at times.
Suggesting watching City at home in recent seasons has been anything but a hard watch would be unfair to a group of supporters who have certainly suffered.
Ninety-two home matches in four seasons have yielded just 29 wins. Last season, the Tigers managed just five victories under under Tim Walter and Ruben Selles, the worst record in the league. They haven’t managed more than nine wins since returning to the second tier following their League One title win.
Home game after home game, those supporters trudged through West Park and took their seats in the Championship’s most welcoming arena for visiting teams and their fans.
For many, going to the MKM was a ritual that became more about seeing family and friends rather than actually enjoying what was being served up on the pitch for an hour and a half every other week, and Sergej Jakirovic is under no illusions about the importance of shifting that dial quickly.
As with all football fans, hope springs eternal, especially at this time of year and City’s followers will be clinging to the hope that this season can be different, and be better than the rest and they have reason to believe it could be.
Under Jakirovic, City have looked a strong, confident and well-drilled outfit. Two games into the season, City remain unbeaten in 90 minutes at least and there’s a growing sense of optimism about the squad.
The Bosnian has also managed to get a home win under his belt at the first time of asking. It may have been a friendly, but given what’s gone before, we’ll take it. That success against Sunderland to claim the Raich Carter trophy at the end of July at least got him off and running.
Jakirovic’s challenge is to repeat that success when Oxford United come calling on Sunday afternoon. Getting off to a good start at home will set the tone for the season and will ensure the ongoing saga of the Tigers’ home form is quickly nipped in the bud.
Home form is the bedrock of any campaign. If City are to enjoy a good season, however that may look come the end of it, winning games and being difficult to beat in East Yorkshire will be absolutely fundamental to that
It took the Tigers until the visit of Swansea City just days before Christmas for them to secure a home victory last term. By then, Walter had been dismissed, Andy Dawson had had his caretaker spell in charge, and Ruben Selles had arrived.
There may be a very different feel around the manager and playing squad as we head into the new season, but those scars of yesteryear have left their mark.
It won’t be until the Tigers have started their home campaign with three points before fans start believing that this time, it might just be different, and Sunday is a prime opportunity to do just that.
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