West Ham v Hull City: Rosenior returns to where love affair all began

The Hull City defender will be back in the East End tonight as Steve Bruce looks to get one over his long-time friend Sam Allardyce.

It is a fixture, rearranged from earlier this month due to the Tigers’ FA Cup exploits, Rosenior has been looking forward to all season.

“I used to go to Upton Park when I was a boy,” said the 29-year-old, who just last weekend broke his scoring duck for City at the 133rd attempt as West Bromwich Albion were beaten 2-0 at the KC Stadium.

“So, it will be a special night for me personally. I was going there when I was three and four yearsold when my dad (Leroy) was playing for West Ham.

“John Lyall was manager and he would have all the kids in the dressing room before games. Five minutes before kick-off, we would be having a kick-around with the first-team players.

“Going to watch my dad play for West Ham was what made me want to become a footballer.

“It is a great club, with great traditions and it’ll be an honour for me to play there one more time. It’ll be a joy.

“Upton Park holds a lot of memories for me from growing up. I know they will be moving to the Olympic Stadium soon but for me Upton Park will always be the place where I first found a love for football.”

Rosenior has played three times at the home of the Hammers in his career and is yet to finish on the winning side.

A little under two years ago, the full-back was part of the Hull side beaten 2-1 on the final day of the 2011-12 season. He was also involved in a 3-3 draw as a Fulham player in 2007 and a 2-1 defeat the previous year.

Tonight, Rosenior insists, would be an ideal time to end that wait for a win at the ground where he spent so many happy years as a boy.

He said: “It will be tough. They have had a great set of results since the turn of the year and it doesn’t surprise me how well they have done. Sam Allardyce is a good experienced manager at this level.

“We have got to be ready for the onslaught but we know we can cause them problems with the strikers we have got in our ranks.

“It is two physical tasks for us now with West Ham and then Stoke (who Hull visit on Saturday).

“I praised our two centre-halves (Curtis Davies and James Chester) after our win over West Brom at the weekend but they are going to have to be at their best if we are to pick up anything. That goes for the whole team and the way we defend.”

Two points separate the Tigers and Hammers in the table and both seem well on course to stay clear of the relegation fight. Nevertheless, victory tonight will be a major step towards achieving safety and Rosenior believes the spirit Bruce has engendered in his squad could prove crucial.

“I am not sure how much of it comes across,” said the full-back, “but we are all talking to each other on the pitch and making sure we are all pulling in the right position. That goes a long way towards success.

“You might not play at your best but you can grind it out as a group. We did that well on Saturday and can do again.”

Liam’s dad Leroy spent a little over five years at West Ham and among the City defender’s vivid memories is the afternoon the Londoners were beaten in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final by Nottingham Forest.

He recalls: “I was desperate for him to win and he let me down. They lost and I cried for about four days afterwards because I was so disappointed about not going to see my dad play at Wembley.”

Next month, of course, Rosenior has a chance to make up for that family disappointment by helping Hull beat Sheffield United in the fourth all-Yorkshire semi-final in the Cup’s history.

Before that, though, there are three games to play with Swansea City due at the KC Stadium after this week’s trips to West Ham and Stoke.

One victory will be enough for the Tigers to reach the pre-season target laid down by Bruce of 10 league wins, something the 52-year-old manager believes will be enough to stay up.

Rosenior added: “We will go down there and look to do the best we can. Three points at West Ham would be fantastic.

“I am not sure if dad can make it. It will depend on his work. I spoke with him last week and I know he would be delighted to go.

“But he has got his own work commitments with commentating so we will have to see.”

Bruce is confident striker Shane Long will recover from a knee injury sustained in the 2-0 win over his old club West Brom.

Last six games: West Ham United WWWLLL, Hull City WWLWLW.

Referee: M Dean (Cheshire).

Last time: West Ham United 2 Hull City 1; April 28, 2012; Championship.