Mclean relishing Hammers test as the Tigers vow to bounce back

The Tigers’ nine-game unbeaten run came to an end on Tuesday night with a 2-1 defeat at Barnsley, but the East Riding club remain in the play-off places thanks to results elsewhere, including Leeds United’s 5-0 defeat at home to Blackpool last night. They now face a major test on Saturday when Sam Allardyce’s Hammers travel to the KC.

In many ways, Hull have slipped under the radar this term with their arrival in the top six towards the end of September having gone largely unnoticed outside the city.

Mclean is, in common with most at the club, happy to remain out of the spotlight as long as the results keep coming, starting with Saturday’s meeting with the team who occupy second place after 15 games.

The City striker said: “I think we have done well. We didn’t start brilliantly but we then went on a really good run. We lost against Barnsley but I thought we were unfortunate.

“With each game, I think we are improving. We are a young team and I think we learned quite a bit from Tuesday. You can’t have it your own way every week. We went away disappointed but I think the experience will only help the team.”

City’s haul of 24 points from 14 outings – they have a game in hand on every club in the top half bar Birmingham City – is a just reward for some impressive performances by Pearson’s men.

Ironically, however, one of their better attacking displays at Oakwell on Tuesday night when they created 17 efforts on target to their host’s 14 resulted in defeat.

Mclean, who was hugely unlucky to see his spectacular overhead kick rebound off the crossbar during the second half, admits that losing to their South Yorkshire rivals was a tough pill for the Tigers to swallow.

He said: “The dressing room after the game was a bit disappointed. We had conceded two soft goals.

“If they had cut us open and we felt we had deserved to lose then that would have made it easier to take.

“But the way we played meant we deserved something. On another day, had we got the breaks then we could have scored four or five goals. Their goalkeeper was brilliant so we have to kick on for Saturday.”

As for his overhead kick when Barnsley were leading 2-0 thanks to strikes by Craig Davies and Andy Gray, Mclean added: “I thought it was in.

“I have scored a couple of overhead kicks before in my career, though that was probably my best connection of the lot. Some days they go in and some they don’t.

“It just about summed up our night in that we didn’t get the rub of the green. But we go again on Saturday.”

City’s defeat to Barnsley brought to an end a two-month unbeaten run that has firmly established Pearson’s side among the teams challenging for promotion to the Premier League.

Asked if he was happy by Hull’s league position as the season moves into its second third, Mclean said: “We have to be. We wanted to be in and around the play-offs by this stage of the season.

“The top six is our target. Our aspirations are promotion so it is important we stay around the top six all season long. If we do that, then it will be interesting to see where it takes us.

“The table is so tight that it shows anyone can beat anyone. It will stay like that for the rest of the season.”

With the nine-game unbeaten run over, Hull’s attention has now moved to the visit of West Ham and Mclean is expecting a tough contest.

He said: “West Ham are a good team. I am not sure if they are the best side right now. There are a lot of good teams in this division. Look at how Southampton have started, they have been really impressive.

“The great thing is anyone can beat anyone in this division so we go into every Championship game believing in ourselves, though West Ham will be hard opponents.

“We have been on a good run but that is now over. We have to start again. Taking the positives from the Barnsley game is important and the big thing to take out of it was that we played well.

“West Ham is a brilliant game to go into after a defeat. It is one that everyone is desperate to play in. I would expect there may be places up for grabs with the gaffer wanted to freshen things up.

“That should make Thursday really interesting, as we all look to show how desperate we are to be involved.”

Adriano Basso is a major doubt for the Hammers game due to being forced out of the Barnsley defeat with tendonitis, meaning Peter Gulacsi is standing by for a first start since City lost 4-1 at Leeds United in August.