The Tigers return to action on Friday for a seven-game shootout
Hull City remain firmly in the play-off mix ahead of the final seven games (Image: Richard Sellers/PA Wire)
Former Hull City promotion winner James Chester has backed his old club to remain in the play-off mix over the course of the next month.
Just seven games remain for City to secure a play-off place, or potentially better, though Chester feels the Tigers’ defensive issues will rule them out of the automatic promotion race.
City are five points behind Middlesbrough, who occupy second place, and three clear of Wrexham in seventh, with only seven games of the season to go, two of which will be played over the upcoming Easter weekend.
The Tigers’ impressive season has been masterminded by Sergej Jakirovic, in what has been his first season in English football, and Chester has placed big credit on the Croatian, as well as his trusted aides Dean Holden and club legend Andy Dawson.
“I’ve been really impressed with Hull City this season. I think last season was a struggle at times, certainly after sacking Liam Rosenior when they were a place away from the play-offs the season before,” he told Fruity King. “I think what’s impressive is how the manager has come in and perhaps not knowing the country and the league, just how well they’ve adapted.
“They’ve got Dean Holden and Andy Dawson there as coaches, and that will honestly be a massive help to the manager and his coaching staff.
“I think if you look through Hull’s (City) squad, they’ve got a lot of players who have played a lot of games at that level. A lot of experience. But mixed within that, there’s quite a lot of youth and some exciting players. I think they scored lots of goals this season, but I think they’ve also conceded quite a lot of goals this season, so that would maybe suggest why they’re just outside the automatic places at the moment, because they’ve been exciting to watch, but also at the other end, they’ve conceded quite a few goals.
“Looking at it, they’ve won as many games as Middlesbrough, which is a really impressive thing to do in the Championship. I think it is just the fact that they’ve conceded more than they’d have liked, perhaps.
“I think if you’d said to any Hull (City) fan that you’d be sitting where you are at this stage of the season, I think everyone would have really been delighted with that last summer.”
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Part of City’s recruitment drive in the summer and in January, working under strict restrictions, was to sign experienced players like Oli McBurnie and John Lundstram, with Paddy McNair arriving in the winter to join John Egan and Matt Crooks, players Chester believes will be vital in the final weeks.
“How would I settle players down for the pressures of the run-in? It’s easier said than done, but it is about just thinking that it’s just another game and you can only try and solely focus on that next game and that next result,” he continued.
“They’re all well-versed at being professional footballers and know what it takes to get results and the right performance to lead to those results.
“So as hard as it is, you just have to try and focus on that game that’s coming up and what’s in front of you rather than looking a little bit too far ahead and thinking about the ifs and buts and maybes.
“Hull (City) have John Egan, who’s been there and done it. Matt Crooks has been promoted as well in his career, Oli McBurnie too. There’s lots of players who have been in similar situations already so I think looking at how the season finishes, I would put Hull (City) in contention to remain in the play-offs and see where we go from there.”
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