The forward is in electric form for the Tigers
Joe Gelhardt says he’s never felt more confident on a football pitch than he does right now playing for Hull City, after bagging his seventh goal in his last nine outings at Stoke City on Saturday.
Gelhardt’s precise finish from Mo Belloumi’s pass in the 90th minute sealed a terrific come-from-behind 2-1 win for the Tigers against a side who were sitting second-top at the start of play.
The forward, who pushed through his summer loan move back to City from Leeds United, is in the best goalscoring form of his senior career after taking his tally to nine for the season in the opening 18 games to help the Tigers keep pace with the play-off pack.
“I’ve seen the space, and I know Mo’s creative, and he was looking for me, and then the defender came from my blindside, and luckily he missed it. I just had to put it away, and thankfully, I did,” he told Sky Sports.
“I think I’m going through probably the most confident I’ve felt on a football pitch. It’s down to the lads, cos I’m happy here at Hull, so when you’re confident, you tend to play better.
“I think it’s just happiness. I’ve wanted to come back here since last season. And I came back, and yeah, I’m just very happy at the minute.”
Gelhardt also had words of appreciation for ex-Whites teammate Patrick Bamford following his move to Sheffield United, after he spoke glowingly of the 23-year-old during their time together at Elland Road, admitting that he wasn’t sure why the City ace wasn’t given more of a look-in.
“I get on well with Pat, to be fair. He’s looked after me. I was a young lad when I went to Leeds, and he sort of put me under his wing. It was nice words that he said, which I was made up to see. He went to Sheff (United), and he scored his first goal the other day for them, so I’m buzzing for him.”
After successive defeats at QPR and then against Ipswich Town at the MKM Stadium last Tuesday night, City bounced back in style, and now attention turns to Friday night’s visit of high-flying Middlesbrough.
Boro toppled Stoke to jump into second after coming from behind themselves to beat Derby County on Saturday, as those teams below Coventry City continue to move around, adding to what Gelhardt describes as a crazy league.
“It’s a crazy league,” he admitted. “When you have three games in a week, you put a few good results together, and you climb up the table, and you know how tight it is. We’re two points behind these (Stoke), who were second in the league. It’s a tight league, anyone can beat anyone on the day, and it’s the Championship.”
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