Hull City’s focus on Luton Town game, insists Cliff Byrne

Hull City have moved quickly to draw a line under their midweek humiliation at the hands of Wigan Athletic as they bid to stave off the growing threat of relegation from the Championship.
Hull City slumped to 8-0 midweek defeat at Wigan.  Picture Bruce RollinsonHull City slumped to 8-0 midweek defeat at Wigan.  Picture Bruce Rollinson
Hull City slumped to 8-0 midweek defeat at Wigan. Picture Bruce Rollinson

The Tigers’ 8-0 mauling was their worst defeat in more than a century and leaves them mired in the bottom three with just two games remaining this term.

Saturday’s home clash against Luton Town, the side directly below them in the table, has literally become a must-win fixture, with the loser almost certain to be demoted to League One.

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And, with the stakes so high, City assistant coach Cliff Byrne insists that the East Yorkshire club cannot afford to dwell on what went wrong against the Latics if they are to secure what would be just a second victory in 19 attempts.

“We had a look back at the performance as a group – players and staff – the following day,” Byrne said.

“We debriefed the game as we do every other game. The games are coming thick and fast and we don’t have the time or opportunity to dwell on the performance and result on Tuesday night.

“We’re not shying away from the performance. We were all disappointed and no-one in the group was happy with it. That was put to bed on Wednesday though and our focus immediately went onto the game coming up on Saturday.

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“We made it quite clear to the boys after the debrief that we had to move on. We can’t change what has already happened. We can only look forward to the game that’s coming up at the weekend.

“The important thing now is how we respond.”

Byrne addressed the media instead of head coach Grant McCann at City’s Thursday press conference, but was quick to dismiss any suggestion that he was on press duty because the Northern Irishman had left the club.

Having confirmed that McCann would “absolutely” be in charge for the Luton game, Byrne added: “He’s good, he’s good. We’re just sharing the workload today, that’s all. The manager has led from the front [in training this week], he’s led the group as he has done all season.

“He’s been fine, there’s nothing to delve into there, the manager’s played at the highest level and on big occasions so pressure comes naturally to him.”

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Byrne went on to reveal that City will be at full-strength for Saturday’s game.

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