The Tigers will begin the New Year just two points adrift of the top two
Darko Gyabi says he can understand why Hull City fans are daring to dream about promotion to the Premier League after a blistering end to the calendar year.
Gyabi scored the winning goal on Monday night as the Tigers beat rivals Middlesbrough 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium to move within two points of the automatic promotion places. Since losing to Boro at the start of December, City have won four and drawn one of their five games and are the form team in the Championship.
A year on from the stress of a relegation battle, Gyabi says if he were a fan, he’d also be dreaming of what could happen in the New Year, but admits as a player, he must remain grounded and focus on the cliched next game, which comes against Stoke City on New Year’s Day.
“If I were a fan, I’d be dreaming too, but I’ve got to play, and I’ve got to stay focused, so that’s all we want to do as a team, we just want to take it day by day, work hard,” Gyabi told Hull Live.
“I know everybody says it, take it day by day, but it is important to focus on the daily things because that’s what brings the outcomes. But yeah, if I were a fan, I’d be dreaming too. As a team, we want to keep staying consistent and keep putting up the performances that we are doing. After a game, everyone’s going to be happy. You want to enjoy the good moments.”
While revenge may not be the specific word used, there was an element of trying to set the record straight after what Boro did to City at the start of the month, and the Tigers certainly did that with Sergej Jakirovic’s game plan working perfectly.
“It’s a very big win. Coming off the last game (2-2 draw at Sheffield Wednesday), it was a very, very good reaction from the team,” Gyabi continued.
“I wouldn’t say revenge, I think we just wanted to play better than last time, play better than the game on Boxing Day and then play better than last time we played them, and I think that’s what we’ve done. It was a good reaction from the team after drawing the last game; to come here and win was a big win, and we’re grateful for that.”
Given how Boro tore into City at the MKM Stadium to lead 4-0, fans could be forgiven for expecting similar, but Jakirovic’s tactical shift closed down the midfield and frustrated the hosts throughout.
“I think that’s why football’s amazing, because you can’t predict, no matter what the stats say, it’s just about what happens on the day on the pitch, and we were on the winning side, and that’s what we wanted to do.
“Kyle (Joseph) has done really well to keep the ball in. He’s chased the ball down and cut it back, and I was just in the right place at the right time and thank God it went in. I was just happy that we managed to score first and keep the pressure on them, and then in the second half, we defended quite well considering they had a lot more of the ball. It was a collective performance, and we’re happy.”
Attention for City turns to the visit of Stoke City to kick off 2026, who themselves will be keen to gain revenge for the defeat they suffered against the Tigers at the bet365 Stadium at the end of November.
“It’s a big game, and we’re going to be at home. We want to continue with how we’re playing. We’ve just got to prepare in training and get ready for an important game.”
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