Premier League survival advantage remains with the Tigers, claims match-winner Clucas

Hull City's Sam Clucas, centre, celebrates scoring his side's second goal in the defeat of Watford (Picture: Richard Sellers/PA Wire).

They were back in the drop zone and down to 10 men at half-time on Saturday but staged a remarkable rally to defeat Watford 2-0 with goals from Lazar Markovic and Clucas and remain two points clear of Swansea City, who won by the same score at home to Stoke City.

Oumar Niasse was the unlucky recipient of a red card midway through the first half at the KCom Stadium but the way Hull responded will have left spirits low in the Welsh camp, believes Clucas. “You have players that travel to games that aren’t involved and they’ll have looked at our game, with us down to 10 men, and they’d have been buzzing to be leading at half-time.

“In the end, though, they’re probably gutted although it would have been nice for us for their result to go our way to make it more comfortable. That’s how the Premier League goes and it’s going to be a tight finish.

“I think our win means more than theirs just because of the situation. We’ve just got to concentrate on ourselves. It’s nice to have it in our hands.”

With four games to go to guarantee survival, Clucas continued: “Our team spirit is brilliant. Everyone knows that. We know we’ve got togetherness and character, and that home form has been unbelievable as well. We just need to take that into the away games now.”

Under Marco Silva, Hull have claimed 19 points from a possible 21 at home but their away form has seen them take one from 21.

Ahead of Saturday’s trip to Southampton the head coach admits: “It is a big challenge for me and for us as a club. It is a challenge to me why we change so much playing at home to away.

“We prepare in the same way. We do everything in the same way. We need to improve. It is a big challenge and we will try to do something different at Southampton and Crystal Palace.”

Silva, whose stock is rising, would not discuss his future but continued: “I am happy here. I am here to do my best to keep this club in the Premier League. We work all together to do this. You never know what will happen in the future but I am happy and I am happy to go to work every day. This is the most important thing to me.”

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