City can match last season’s total number of wins with victory against Pompey
John Egan wants Hull City to come out and play on the front foot against Portsmouth, and take their supporters with them this afternoon.
City host the struggling Blues looking to return to winning ways after Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat at Derby County, a result which ended their six-game unbeaten run.
At the MKM Stadium, City have won four and drawn two of their seven so far, but know there’s growing expectation on Sergej Jakirovic’s side after what has been a terrific start to the season, especially against the backdrop of so many injuries to key players.
WATCH: John Egan looks ahead to the visit of Pompey
Egan, who will jet off on Ireland duty after the game, wants his teammates to hit the ground running in a similar fashion to what they did against Leicester City a couple of weeks ago in front of their biggest crowd of the campaign so far.
“We got off to a good start at home and we know that the fans will turn up if we turn up. It’s up to us to get the ground going, to get the fans going, and that all comes from the way we play. We have to try and be on the front foot when we’re at home and take the game to to every team and I think so far we’ve done that in the main, and the fans have responded to that, which is good.
“We all want to be pulling in the same direction, and we want to have that connection with our home fans and away fans. Our home is a tough place to come when the players are on it and the fans are on it, and we’re all hyped up.
“They’re a good side. We played against them last year on the final day of the season, and we managed to stay up. They’re a good team, a good manager, and it’ll be a really tough game. Every game in the Championship is like that. It’s all about who turns up on the day, who wants it more and who sticks the ball in the back in the back of the net.”
City were left frustrated with the manner of the goals they conceded at Pride Park, and Egan says the players and coaching staff have taken what worked and what didn’t into their preparation for Portsmouth.
As frustrating as it was, perhaps they’ve ridden their luck in previous games and come out on top, and it went the other way against the Rams.
“I think in every game there’s going to be stuff like that (things that go for you and against). The only thing that matters is the scoreline at the end of the game. Should have, could have, would have. It’s all well and good talking about it and thinking about it, but it didn’t happen.
“You are where you are for a reason, and you just have to look at the next game and try and win it. I think that’s probably been our mentality all year, just taking it game by game.
“We have to continue to do that. There’s such a long way to go. We’re only in November now, so we need to just keep that mentality right the way through; give one hundred per cent to the next game ahead of us, and that’s the most important one.”
Here at Hull Live , we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group.
You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service.