Hull City joker Oli McBurnie's important role in taking pressure off Championship play-off push

"Take care. Be positive. See you," jokes coach Sergej Jakorivc at the end of Thursday’s online press conference, leaning into the camera to reference the time when Covid-19 made it the only way to do them.

The Tigers are a serious football club with a seriously big carrot in front of them as they chase promotion to the Premier League and all the transformative richest that come with it via the play-offs. But they know the best way to get there is not to take themselves too earnestly.

When the club put out a tweet celebrating Joe Gelhardt's goalscoring contribution to Tuesday's 2-1 win at Wrexham, class clown Oli McBurnie pulled him back down to earth with a reminder of his missed spot kick.

"Joffy won’t be on pens again ole oleeeeeeee" he quote-tweeted before a string of laughing emojis.

You can only do things like that in a good dressing room.

"I enjoy coming in every day," says winger Liam Millar. "We all have a lot of banter, sometimes a little bit childish, but it's enjoyable."

"Thank God I don't have Twitter," smiles Jakirovic. "But it's a very good atmosphere. This is Oli.

"Oli is always trying to joke with the players. I think it's good.

"There are no hard feelings. They are joking with each other.

"Oli tried to support Joffo after he scored a free-kick and then he gave him the ball (for the penalty).

"The next time he will score, I'm completely sure."

The relaxed mood is getting the best out of players.

"When you're coming in every day with a smile on your face, enjoying what you do, I feel like it can only help you on the pitch," argues Millar.

Of the teams in the Championship play-off places, Ipswich Town have a parachute payment, and the high expectations that come with that, just like Southampton, who are chasing a place in the top six. Hollywood has funded Wrexham's big transfers, and kept the spotlight on them.

By contrast, Hull were widely tipped for a relegation battle after staying up on goal difference last season then being put under transfer restrictions this term. They can quietly slip under the radar.

“I can say relax with the ball, with no issues, no problems, just play football because this is just a sport, it's a football game,” says Jakirovic.

"We showed already that we are a good team. It is not easy to beat us.

"We have defeats but this is normal. It is a very long season.

"But we also showed that we are very dangerous when we are compact, we are very vertical (playing the ball long), so I hope we will continue like this.

"There is no pressure. Nobody is expecting us so high in the table."

And there is no lack of seriousness when it is needed.

"You can't say any games that we didn't fight," stresses Jakirovic. "Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not good, but we are trying.

"Don't be afraid of anything – 'If we lose the game, then they will catch us, la, la, la'. Fight, do your things, our tactical plan, and that's it.

"It's nine games to go. We will push to the end."

So the question is, if Hull get a penalty at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, who takes it?

"Oli McBurnie is always No 1 but maybe he will give the ball to another player," shrugs Jakirovic. "God knows what he will do on the pitch.

"When I looked last time on the pitch (on Tuesday), he had the ball so I was thinking he missed the penalty!"

Hull have not reported any fresh injuries for Saturday’s game at the relegation-threatened Baggies. Matt Crooks is back from suspension.

The quad injury which stopped Eliot Matazo continuing his recovery from anterior cruciate knee ligament damage in the under-21s on Tuesday is expected to keep him out for “a couple of weeks.”