The Tigers will go in search of a rare Carrow Road success this weekend
A little over 12 months ago, Charlie Hughes made his Hull City debut at Norwich City in what turned out to be a forgettable afternoon for the defender and the Tigers.
This weekend, Hughes and City, under the stewardship of Sergej Jakirovic, will return to Carrow Road for the first time since that forgettable afternoon in a very different place to where they were back in early October 2024.
Hughes was introduced as a half-time substitute with City already 2-0 down, and shortly after coming on, his error led to the third for the hosts, who battered Tim Walter’s men and ended their three-game winning run.
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Since then, Hughes has become a mainstay for the Tigers and has developed into one of the most highly rated central defenders outside the Premier League.
During the summer transfer window, owner Acun Ilicali fended off a host of bids from Championship leaders Coventry City in a bid to keep the 21-year-old in East Yorkshire.
City’s 12 months since then have been turbulent to say the least. Walter’s regime perished shortly after that Carrow Road crushing, before Ruben Selles came and went after securing second-tier safety, and now, under Jakirovic, the Tigers are finally looking up rather than down.
“It’s been massive. I think since being here, I’ve progressed a lot, I’ve learned a lot of things, I think credit to the staff, I’ve spent a lot of time with the analysis as well,” Hughes told Hull Live on the eve of the trip to Norfolk.
“I’ve had three different managers here, and I had the same at Wigan as well, so it’s been different styles, different schedules, different tactics, different styles of play.
“When I first came in, it was a new style of play for me. There’s been a lot of adaptation for me as well, but no, I’ve really enjoyed it, I think I’ve progressed a lot.”
Last Saturday’s 91st-minute concession against Charlton Athletic denied the Tigers a fourth straight win for the first time in four years, but it did extend their unbeaten run to five games and sit outside the top six only on goal difference.
The visit to Norwich kickstarts another three-game week going into the November break, before the busiest run of the season into the festive period, something Hughes is relishing, given the newfound positive mood around the camp, despite the ongoing injury struggles.
“It’s been a really strong start for us. I think the form we’re in at the moment is helped by the morale in the dressing room and the team spirit, it’s a happy place to be,” he explained.
“It’s lovely being around the training ground, and the changing room is full of spirit, full of character, and it’s a nice place to be. There’s a lot of ups and downs in football, but when we’re on a high like this at the moment, listen, there’s a long way to go, we’re not even at the Christmas period yet, but in the last four or five games, we’ve performed very well, we’re getting points on the board, so now it’s just about continuing that up until the break and then we go again.
“I think it’s 11 games in November and December. It’s gonna be a tough period. We’ve got a lot of injuries, but we just gotta stick through it together and just keep cracking on.”
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