City are back in action at the MKM Stadium on Friday night, with a visit from high-flying Middlesbrough
Sergej Jakirovic met the media on Wednesday as preparations continued for Friday night’s showdown with Middlesbrough at the MKM Stadium.
City go into the game on the back of a dramatic comeback win at fellow promotion rivals Stoke City, thanks to goals from Semi Ajayi and Joe Gelhardt, while Boro were fighting back themselves to beat Derby County 2-1 at the Riverside Stadium in the first game of the Kim Hellberg regime.
Both Jakirovic and ex-Boro man Matt Crooks were on media duties at City’s Cottingham training ground, and here’s a flavour of what was said…
Injury latest
Jakirovic will make a decision on whether or not Liam Millar and Oli McBurnie are fit enough to be involved on Friday evening, while Charlie Hughes is fit.
Hughes missed the win at Stoke City with a hamstring problem and underwent an MRI scan on Monday, but trained alone on Wednesday and will be in the squad.
After training on Thursday, the City boss will decide on the inclusion of Millar and McBurnie, or wait until Wednesday night when City face Wrexham. Cody Drameh, Kasey Palmer and Eliot Matazo remain sidelined. Brandon Williams has also picked up a calf problem, which will keep him out.
Looking back at last week
Those post-match scenes at the bet365 Stadium have been well-documented, and City can expect another fine coming their way in the near future. Naturally, it was only right to ask Matt Crooks about his version of events and the win in Staffordshire in general….
“It’s been really good (this week). A great win, never better than to do it late in the game. The atmosphere’s still been good. The performances and the results may not have been as good as previous weeks, but the atmosphere within the camp has still been really high, and I thought we showed a good togetherness on Saturday to pick up the three points.
“I’ve said loads of times, but I sometimes prefer away games, I just love the kind of siege mentality that you’ve got to have within the camp, and it’s everyone else against you, 25, 26, 30 people that are representing the club. To cut out all the noise of the game towards the end, and then the last-minute winner was nice.
“There were a few funny incidents flying about, weren’t there? It’s part of the game sometimes, isn’t it? Emotions are high. Two teams wanna win the game of football, both competing at the right end of the league table. I’m not an advocate for fighting and all that, that’s the last thing, but sometimes you’ve got to stick together and show togetherness. It’s never gonna come to blows in a football game anyway, but, you see your mate in a bit of trouble, you’ve got to go help him out. Never doubted the squad for doing that, but it was nice to see everyone in it together.”
Does the change in schedule have any impact?
City begins another gruelling three-game week on Friday, but playing earlier does have its benefits. It will give Jakirovic’s players an extra day to prepare for Wrexham on Wednesday night. For their part, Phil Parkinson’s side face Preston North End on Saturday afternoon.
Jakirovic, though, believes the greater impact will be felt after Wednesday when there’s less recovery time before the Tigers travel down to Millwall on Friday afternoon, ready for Saturday’s meeting with the Lions at The Den.
“No, it’s OK,” the Croatian said. “This is a normal schedule, and you have time for recovery. I hope we will play well against Middlesbrough because we are facing a good team. Then it’s Wednesday-Saturday. I think the bigger problem would be after Wednesday with the recovery, but the players are used to it, and I hope we will be on a good level for these three games.”
Boro’s new boss
“We will try to do everything to beat them, but they are very good. They are very high on the table with points, and they have also changed their manager, which, for us, in preparation, makes it a little bit tricky.
“We will decide who will play, who will be in the squad, and especially after this game at Stoke City, some players have had problems, but nothing special, and they will be ready. We will see, we are looking forward, we are playing at home and I hope we will take three points.
“They changed the coach; he has a completely different football style, completely. They changed to a back three, and in previous games, they played a back four.
“They have some good individual players in the team and we will prepare everything and I hope we will be successful. We are playing at home, and every time we play at home, the target is to take three points, no matter who is against us. We will try to be good, to perform very well, and I hope we will take three points.”
The thorny subject of VAR
Not for the first time this season, Jakirovic threw his weight behind calls to bring VAR into the Championship. After seeing his side not given a penalty at Stoke for a foul on Matt Crooks, the Croatian again said it should be brought in.
“This is why we need VAR in this league,” the City boss said. “The game is so quick, you cannot see everything, no way. VAR gives you a second opportunity to maybe see whether you can change your decision. It’s everything about justice. But OK, this is not a question for me, this is a question for the EFL and all the clubs.”
Crooks facing his former club
“I’m really excited about it; it’s another game, obviously, but it holds its own connotations for me within it. I had a really good time there. Huge respect for the football club, for the people that work there, that are still there, and some of the players that I’ve played with, so yeah, I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s like home for me, really, now. My family’s up there, my two lads have got Teesside accents, so it’s kind of a mixed household for us, this week, but Christmas spirit and all that, so I’ll keep it kind enough.”
Where’s Brandon?
The Tigers boss told Hull Live that Brandon Williams has been struggling with a calf issue but remains in his thinking, even if he is struggling to make the grade.
Jakirovic also suggested a decision will need to be made in the next few weeks about what happens with Williams moving forward in terms of his future.
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.
Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.