The Tigers return to the MKM Stadium looking to get back to winning ways in front of their own supporters
Ryan Giles says Hull City fear nobody in the Championship as they head into the busiest, and arguably, most crucial period of the season so far.
City host Giles‘ former club Middlesbrough on Friday night and will do so buoyed by last weekend’s terrific win over a Stoke City outfit who sat second in the Championship ahead of the weekend’s games.
Joe Gelhardt’s 90th-minute winner, coupled with Boro coming from behind to beat Derby County, saw the Teessiders leapfrog the Potters into second and arrive at the MKM Stadium with promotion hopes of their own.
City, though, have been in good form at the MKM Stadium and had gone six games unbeaten in front of their own supporters before Ipswich Town ended that run last Tuesday night.
After successive defeats at QPR and then against the Tractor Boys, City returned to winning ways in the Potteries and will be aiming high when Kim Hellberg gets his first taste of the East Yorkshire hospitality in his maiden away trip as manager of Boro.
City then host Wrexham, go to Millwall and face West Brom before the Christmas period really takes off, with Giles knowing how important the next few weeks are.
“I’ve been in this division for a while now, and I knew coming back (in the summer), this batch of games we’ve got some tough, tough fixtures coming up, but I’ve got full belief in everybody in the dressing room that on our day, we can beat anybody in this league,” the City ace told Hull Live. “I don’t fear anybody, that’s how much belief I’ve got in that dressing room.”
Given City have the second-worst defence in the league, having shipped 30 goals in their opening 18 games, Giles knows Sergej Jakirovic’s players must tighten up, and also stop the flood of shots on Ivor Pandur’s goal.
“We have to cut these little errors out there where we’re going wrong. We’re also up against good opposition, and if we give them these opportunities to have shots at our goal, we’re ultimately gonna give away (goals), they’re a good side,” he explained.
As for Boro, where Giles enjoyed a successful loan spell a couple of seasons ago before ending last season at the Riverside Stadium in a less than successful stint, the 25-year-old is ready for raring to go.
“Another good side, doing really well,” Giles said of his old club. “I know they’re going to have a change of manager now, but they’ve still got brilliant players, and that’ll be a tough, tough game.
“At home, I feel like we can beat anybody. I think we just take a game at a time. I don’t think we need to get too carried away. There are tough fixtures coming up, there’s no hiding from that, but just focus on the next one, I think that’s the most important thing, and keep ticking them off, as I like to say.”
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