Hull City v Brentford: Keane Lewis-Potter story the inspiration as Tigers look to make EFL qualities count

Keane Lewis-Potter left Championship Hull City to join the Premier League Bees in 2022, and has quietly established himself as a key player in a leading top-flight squad.

Hull-born Tigers fan Lewis-Potter has started every league game since mid-March, and expanded far beyond the goalscoring winger in black-and-amber.

As Sergej Jakirovic puts it: "He can play as a No 8 (box-to-box midfielder), No 10 (in the hole). In the last game he played left full-back, which is very interesting because he is right-footed. He is very dangerous in the opponent's box, he can score."

But more than that, Lewis-Potter is an inspiration.

Like Coyle, he played in Hull's promotion-winning League One side and his former captain wants to follow his lead in establishing himself in the best division in the world.

"I love to see people do well in general, whether I know them, whether I don't," says Coyle, one of eight Hull league ever-presents this season. "But especially when it's one of your good pals that you've played with.

"I'm just made up for Keane.

"I never had any doubts that when he went to the Premier League he'd do what he's done."

From the way the game is played to finances, to all the palaver around it, there is a huge gulf between England's top division and the third tier where Coyle first played alongside a young Lewis-Potter. But the qualities learnt in the muck and nettles of the Football League are what Hull need to respond to a poor showing in defeat at Fulham last week.

"I remember playing in League One and that jump to the Premier League does seem a million miles away, then fast forward six or seven years and you're playing in the Premier League," says Coyle.

"I'm a fella that's always believed in and backed myself because I know what I give it.

"But yeah, you'd be lying if you said that jump doesn't seem a little bit of a big one.

"The grounding certainly helps you. You appreciate it a lot more if you've had to go the long way.

"Them experiences that you get from League One, the Championship, they're invaluable. They've been so important for me.

"Nothing really prepares you for the Premier League because it's a completely different beast – the level of opposition, the level of players you play against. But it certainly helps you with different experiences in football to then be as prepared as you can to make that jump."

Jakirovic has hinted some more of those bought to add Premier League quality could be introduced to the XI on Sunday, but Hull's start to the season has been built around a core who cut their teeth lower down.

Regan Slater played alongside Coyle and Lewis-Potter in the third tier. Semi Ajayi, Mohamed Belloumi, Matt Crooks, John Egan, Joe Gelhardt, Ryan Giles and Oli McBurnie have all made the step from Championship to Premier League mainstay.

Sumner signings Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Sorba Thomas learnt important lessons at Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town respectively amongst others, whilst assistant coach Dean Holden managed Oldham Athletic, Bristol City, Stoke City and Charlton Athletic.

You cannot survive, let alone thrive, in the 46-game Football League divisions without resilience.

"You need that to even have a chance at winning a game of football in the Premier League," argues Coyle. "This group has it tenfold.

"There's never been a question mark over the mindset of this group of players and that's something that I'm forever proud of.

"It makes my job a lot easier as captain when all the fellas put themselves out there in the manner they do every day in training.

"Yeah, we're going to have bad days like Fulham away but the mindset from the group of players is everything you need."

Part of the job of Coyle and co is teaching it to the large cohort of youngsters who joined having learnt their football in top-level academies and divisions on the continent.

"The new lads have bought into it fantastically well," stresses Coyle.

"I think they see that core group setting a precedent every day, setting an example, showing the new lads how it has to look no matter what, as a bare minimum in terms of standards on and off the pitch.

"I think that makes the new lads adapt a lot quicker.

"I always looked up to all the pros when I was coming through and tried to sort of lean on the ones that did all the right things and approached the game in the right way.

"Those coming into the building have to sort of buy in. You have to want to be part of the group and credit to every single person that has, they're all buying in."

One difference to the Football League is the amount of time Hull have had to stew on what coach Jakrovic felt was the worst performance of his 16-month tenure.

"You get a lot less time to dwell on it," says Coyle. "But it's been nice because we had that period to reflect and analyse it properly without a game two, three days later.

"Then you've got the rest of the week to fully focus on the task ahead, which is what we've done."