The Tigers clocked up a tenth win of the season with a deserved victory at The Den
Saturday’s thumping 3-1 win at promotion rivals Millwall ensured Hull City remained firmly in the play-off hunt as the festive period continued, thanks to a terrific Kyle Joseph brace inside the opening 13 minutes and a late Oli McBurnie header.
Since losing 4-1 at home to Middlesbrough on what turned out to be a pivotal night, the Tigers have beaten Wrexham 2-0 and now Millwall to move back into the top six with their 10th win of what’s turning out to be a stellar opening to the season following a summer fraught with challenges.
Sergej Jakirovic’s men have now amassed 34 points from their 21 games, having netted an impressive 36 goals, which is second only to leaders Coventry City, conceding 35. Last term, the tepid Tigers only managed 44 goals in 46 games, and they’re only nine away from beating that total.
Joseph’s two goals took his tally to six for the season, matching last season’s top goalscorer Joao Pedro. Already, Joe Gelhardt (10) and Oli McBurnie (9) have surpassed that total, highlighting the gulf between the two campaigns.
The Tigers have accrued more than double the points they had at the same stage last season. A 2-1 defeat at Coventry City in Ruben Selles’ first game in charge left them rooted to the foot of the Championship on 16 points, having scored 19 and conceded 30.
Two years ago, under Liam Rosenior, when they would ultimately miss out on the top six and finish seventh in the league, the Tigers sat seventh after 21 games following a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough, their ninth success.
At that stage in the 2023/24 campaign, Rosenior’s City had 33 points and had netted 31 times, conceding 27, and they spent Christmas in the top six, having beaten Cardiff City 3-0 before losing 3-2 at Bristol City in the game before December 25, sitting on 36 points from 23 games.
Two years on, City will have played 22 games by Christmas but could still achieve the same amount of points as they did under Rosenior having played a game less, should they beat West Brom on Saturday and make it three consecutive wins for the second time this term.
Naturally, with so much time to go and so many twists and turns to come, nothing has been achieved yet, but under Jakirovic, the Tigers continue to surprise many with their results and remain firmly entrenched in the thick of the top-six battle.
And given where City were 12 months ago heading into Christmas, Tigers fans are sure to have a much calmer and more enjoyable festive period this time around.
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