City play their final home game of 2025 against the Baggies on Saturday afternoon
Hull City know three points at home to West Brom on Saturday will assure them of a place at the top end of the Championship’s Christmas tree on the big day.
Two successive wins over Wrexham and then Millwall have moved the Tigers into the top six and should they see off the Baggies, who are managed by former City midfielder Ryan Mason, they’ll spend Christmas in the play-off zone.
Depending on results elsewhere they could be third by the time Santa Claus goes on his round-the-world travels, though that’s perhaps unlikely given the nature of fixtures for those above them – Millwall go to Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End host Norwich City and Ipswich Town welcome Sheffield Wednesday to Portman Road.
There’s no reward for being inside the top six at Christmas; you don’t get any extra points or boosts to the bank balance heading into January, but for City, it would mean something. It would be symbolic and a great sense of pride given where they’ve come from.
We all know how desperate last season was. Twelve months ago, everybody associated with the Tigers tucked into their Christmas dinner with an element of trepidation, given they’d only moved out of the bottom three with a win over Swansea City. They were in the thick of a relegation battle, and that brings stress and worry.
A year on, and there are no such concerns. Under Sergej Jakirovic, the club’s pride has been restored, and fans have renewed hope about what could come in 2026. Expectations were low at the start of the campaign, but Jakirovic, his staff and players have inspired a fanbase who were at the very least, fretting before a ball was kicked.
Victory in their final home game of the calendar year would also bring the curtain down on what’s been a tough year at the MKM Stadium, but six wins so far have seen that particular tide turn.
Every time people think their challenge may fade, they respond. Be that losing Oli McBurnie, and then Joe Gelhardt, or a tepid home loss to Ipswich Town, and then being four down to Middlesbrough at half-time. After every setback, City have responded. Their character and determination have shone through.
City are a dangerous animal, and their results prove it. Even without being able to name their strongest squad, they’ve won 10 games and are the league’s second most potent attacking unit. While they have been defensively soft, they’ve been ruthless going the other way, and that will ensure they’re a feared beast in the second half of the campaign.
The Championship is riddled with ups and downs, and already, the Tigers have had their fair share of those in the opening 21 games – and there will be more, but things are looking up. While the injury list remains a worry, the return of McBurnie, Liam Millar and Mo Belloumi has already been hugely important, a case proven by their respective influences at The Den.
Aside from their own pride at being in the thick of the promotion race, City will have achieved nothing by being in the play-off pack at Christmas, but importantly, it’s a sign that this season has been successful up to now, that it’s been enjoyable and gives everybody associated with the club reason to be excited and optimistic for what may arrive in the New Year.
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