Hull City can make it back-to-back home wins in Saturday’s early kick-off
Kasey Palmer believes the atmosphere is the best it’s been since he arrived at Hull City almost 12 months ago as the Tigers look to win successive home games at the start of the new season.
City have taken four points from their opening two Championship games with a battling point away at promotion favourites Coventry City before snatching a last-gasp winner over plucky Oxford United on Sunday courtesy of Oli McBurnie’s strike.
Their deserved home win came after an exciting performance, which has given fans renewed optimism that this season under Sergej Jakirovic can be enjoyable, especially after last term’s struggles.
The Tigers will be backed by another big home crowd when Blackburn Rovers visit the MKM Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and Palmer is relishing another MKM Stadium encounter.
“I think the way that we won with the performance was good,” Palmer told Hull Live. “Obviously, we need the three points to show for it. We played well against Wrexham, but we didn’t win the game, so it didn’t really pay off, whereas on Sunday we did both.
“Oli getting a goal was big for everyone. I think the striker scoring a goal obviously makes a statement for him and a statement for the group, and hopefully, on Saturday, we can back it up again.
“For me personally, that was the best atmosphere that I’ve played in front of at home. I think even before the game and during the game, it just felt different to last year. Going for a throw-in or taking a corner, the whole atmosphere didn’t feel like that at any point last year.
“Results and performances weren’t great last year, to be honest, but it just felt like there was more of a positive atmosphere from the crowd, and I think that’s for us to keep that going now.
“We can’t have one good game at home where we play well and then we dip back into not winning or not performing or not getting fans off their seats. I think it’s for us to keep the feel-good factor about the club going, and I think that can go a long way.”
Palmer says the noise in the arena when he went to take a throw-in or corner was like nothing he’s seen at the MKM in the year since he arrived. He said the positivity has helped the players’ mentality.
City’s struggles at home last season are well documented. It took until the visit of Swansea City before Christmas for the Tigers to win a second home game – and they could do that inside the first three weeks by beating Rovers.
“Yeah, of course (it makes you feel good), and I think not just for us, I think for other teams coming to the MKM,” said Palmer. “It gives a different feel when the crowd are proper behind the team that you’re playing against.
“As soon as you go one-nil down, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, here we go, the crowd starts singing’ and it changes the whole atmosphere. At times in the (Oxford) game, it felt really, really different to last year, so hopefully we can continue that.
“I feel like at times last year, even as a dressing room when we would concede or when something was happening in the game, we dropped our heads, and it was like ‘Oh this home (form).’ It was just a negative thing in the back of everyone’s head. No one would say it, but everyone would always feel and know about our home form. It was like, can we win at home or how many times since we won at home or can’t win back-to-back at home?
“It was always something, whereas now we’ve got the chance to go back-to-back wins at home and change the whole perspective. Then, all of a sudden, our home forms two from two and then we can just build on it. It gives us something to build on, especially with such a new dressing room and new manager. I think the fans will really get behind it if we do go and back it up on Saturday.”
Given many in football wrote City off, and even some fans were cautious about what may happpen this season with the issues off the pitch, expectations have quickly risen after an encouraging start. Palmer, though, says that’s all it is so far, a positive opening two games.
He said: “Football’s just crazy, though, because if we win on Saturday, everyone starts putting us in the play-off picture after three games, and then if we lose on Saturday and everyone’s like ‘Oh, it’s what we expected.’
“You can’t win in it, but all we can do is try and perform how we have in the last few games, and I think the performances will bring the results.
“So far, we’ve played well. The Wrexham game, we didn’t really get the result. Cov, we played well, and the other day we got the result and the performance, so I think the way we’re playing is a lot more positive, and I think that’s gonna bring the results with it.”
You can listen to the full interview with Kasey Palmer in the latest 1904 Club episode via the links below…
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