City return to action this weekend with a trip to QPR
Charlie Hughes believes the morale in the Hull City dressing room has been a fundamental reason why the Tigers have enjoyed what he describes as a ‘strong’ start to the new campaign.
City are fifth in the Championship after beating Portsmouth before the international break, form which saw Sergej Jakirovic nominated for October’s Manager of the Month.
And though the Croatian boss missed out on Frank Lampard, it was a sign of just what incredible progress City have made since last season’s struggles, and Hughes says just looking at the table now puts a smile on everybody’s face.
“It’s been a very strong start for us,” the star defender told Hull Live. “The form that we’re in, the morale in the dressing room and the team, it’s a happy place to be. It’s lovely being around the training ground, and the changing room’s full of spirit, full of character, and it’s just a nice place to be.
“There are a lot of ups and downs in football, but when we’re on a high like this at the moment, listen, it’s a long way to go. We’re not even at the Christmas period yet, but in the last four or five games, we’ve performed very well, we’re getting points on the board, so now it’s just about continuing that, and then we go again.”
City return to action on Saturday at QPR, which kicks off a manic run of 11 games throughout the festive period before the FA Cup third round weekend on January 10, a spell which Hughes says is absolutely crucial.
“I think it’s 11 games in November and December. It’s gonna be a tough period. We’ve got a lot of injuries, but we just gotta stick through it together and just keep cracking on,” the youngster mused.
“I think why it’s such a difference now is that last year was obviously not a nice spot to be in. Yes, we’re playing football, but it’s obvious last season wasn’t great; it was not a nice situation to be in, whereas this season we’ve started well, and it’s like you’ve flipped the table upside down.
“It’s a nice feeling when you see our names at the top of the list instead of the bottom, and we’re not fighting for last-minute winners, we’re dominating games, we’re taking control of games, we’re scoring goals.
“The signings that we’ve made have been massive for us. I think every individual in that team has had a massive part so far and will continue to do so for the rest of the season.
“Some of the players that we’ve got, the team that we’ve got now is on fire, and I think we’ve just got to keep that building, especially over the Christmas period.”
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