Nerves no problem as Hull look to get back on track

The Tigers’ hopes of claiming a place in the top six have suffered a setback in the past week with back-to-back defeats against Southampton and Leicester City.

Despite that, victory over Portsmouth in tonight’s rearranged fixture will be enough to earn Hull a return to the play-off places.

The fear, however, following the disappointing 2-1 loss to 10-man Leicester on Saturday is that a packed schedule of seven games since the start of this month is finally starting to catch-up with Nick Barmby’s squad who looked jaded at the King Power Stadium.

Barmby, though, is adamant that tired legs will not be a problem as his troops prepare to take on the bottom club at Fratton Park.

He said: “I am not making tiredness as an excuse for Saturday. We weren’t quick or incisive in possession so that is not an excuse that I will accept. You’re going to get off days every now and then.

“The prize at the end of the season with eight games to go is to get in the play-offs and that is our challenge. Tiredness shouldn’t come into it for me.

“You will never hear any of our players saying it either, or you certainly shouldn’t do, because this is such a great chance for the lads.

“It wasn’t like our lads on Saturday, but the good thing is that the Portsmouth game comes around quickly and we move on.

“There will be a reaction, I have got absolutely no doubt about that.

“The things we did wrong (against Leicester) were out of character. We were loose in possession, and unopposed possession too. That is not like us at all. You will see a different us down there.”

Asked how damaging the two defeats had been, Barmby replied: “It would only be a concern if we were mathematically out of the race.

“We are certainly not out of the race. Of course, we would have liked to have done better but it is still there for us.”

Tonight’s trip to the south coast is a potentially crucial one for Hull due to it being their game in hand on three of the five teams immediately above them in the table.

Only Middlesbrough of the sides sitting fourth to eighth in the table are in action with Tony Mowbray’s side heading to Ipswich Town, though 11th-placed Leicester do host Nottingham Forest.

Barmby will, of course, be interested in how both Boro and the Foxes have fared come 10pm, but his only focus until then is on ensuring Hull return to winning ways against a club enduring a wretched season.

Not only are Portsmouth odds on to be relegated after going into administration last month but they are also facing an uncertain future due to just having sufficient funds to get through to the summer but not beyond.

A run of five defeats in six games also underlines the turmoil at the club, but Barmby insists Michael Appleton’s side must be respected.

He said: “They are a team of fighters for what they have gone through this season. To have not been paid but kept on playing is an amazing achievement for them.

“We are expecting a very tough game from them but Portsmouth will know they have got a tough game on their hands too.

“I take no notice of where teams are in this league because it doesn’t matter. Whether you are playing bottom of the league teams or top of the league teams, you know you will have a difficult game.

“Portsmouth still have a squad that is full of good players and a very good manager too. The way the manager has conducted himself in such difficult circumstances makes him a credit to the club and to himself.”

The visit to Portsmouth is one of six games City have to play against teams in the bottom half of the table, the exceptions being Middlesbrough’s visit to the KC on Easter Monday and the final day trip to West Ham United.

Victory would, therefore, set Barmby’s men up nicely for the run-in and help banish the memory of the damaging back-to-back defeats to Southampton and Leicester.

The City manager said: “There will be ups and downs – we have seen that in the last couple of weeks with teams at the bottom beating sides at the top.

“So, it all comes down to who holds their nerve now because they are the ones who will come out on top. We will hold our nerve I am sure of it.

“We won’t be winning eight games in a row, that is beyond even us. But we’ve got to be looking at winning the majority of those. It is not about points targets, we will just go out there and look to win games.

“We need to get back to our strengths. We need to pass the ball better and dictate games, whether home or away, because we are good enough.”

Asked if nerves had been a problem at Leicester with the City players knowing a win would have more than likely been enough to return to the top six, Barmby added: “I see these lads day in and day out and they are certainly not nervous. I told them that I was disappointed in Saturday’s performance because of the standards they have set for themselves and the ones I have set for them are much higher.”

Last six games: Portsmouth LLLDWL, Hull City DDWDLL.

Last time: Portsmouth 2 Hull City 3; January 3, 2011; Championship.

Referee: D Sheldrake (Surrey).