The Tigers know they must return to winning ways on Saturday against crisis club Sheffield Wednesday
Hull City endured a difficult afternoon at The Hawthorns(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic says he and his players use this week to clear their minds and focus on Saturday’s pivotal clash with Sheffield Wednesday, which he’s described as a must-win.
Jakirovic watched on from the touchline as his side were swept away by a West Brom side who hadn’t won a game in 2026 and were sat second bottom, but looked confident and clinical in beating City 3-0.
Charlie Hughes’ sending off before half-time, with City already a goal down to Josh Maja’s 24th-minute strike, only compounded matters, with the visitors conceding twice in the second period.
After three successive weeks with midweek fixtures, including trips to Ipswich and Wrexham thrown in, City now have a clear week before they host already relegated Sheffield Wednesday in their final outing before the international break.
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His side has also suffered two defeats in three games, and five in their last 10, so Jakirovic knows he must use the next few days wisely ahead of that potentially sticky visit from Wednesday, who haven’t won since September.
Another issue for him to deal with is the left-back problem. Ryan Giles, Matty Jacob and Akin Famewo are all out injured, while Lewie Coyle left The Hawthorns with his right ankle in a protective boot, leaving Cody Drameh as the only fit full-back.
“Of course, it’s very important,” he told Hull Live about the importance of the next few days. “We will try to use this week for good recovery and prepare everything to win next Saturday at home. We can do some sessions so that we can prepare a good game because we must take three points if we want to reach something.”
City have gone through a hectic schedule with their re-arranged game at Portman Road thrown in for good measure, and with a host of injuries, and players coming back from long spells out. Jakirovic admits that his players could have just hit a brick wall.
“Yes, it could be,” Jakirovic said when asked if his side ran out of steam after a hectic period, before going on to highlight his full-back issues. “It could be everything because we lost four full-backs.”
“God knows who will play in the next game because right now, Cody Drameh is the only fit full-back I have available, so we have a lot of problems. We will see after this game, but thankfully, so far, nobody has complained yet. Always, a few players have problems, so we will see. We must find a solution. We must find a good way.”
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