Mike Phelan urges Hull City fans to pump up the volume at KC Stadium

The Tigers, who will be without Abel Hernandez for a month, breathed fresh life into their season with a much-needed victory over Southampton last weekend.

Hull remain in the bottom three, but the change in atmosphere among the fans was palpable.

The challenge now is to harness that feel-good factor and Phelan hopes that on-field entertainment can help lure back the missing thousands.

“I don’t like it because you want your community to come to the game,” he said about the swathes of empty seats at the club’s last two home games.

“You want the town and supporters behind you. We have to galvanise each other. We need to shout out loud and make this a really difficult atmosphere.

“At the moment, we are an empty atmosphere because we have a lot of empty seats. It can be difficult.

“I can’t change that. Only supporters can change that by coming along. What I can do, though, is try and make it worthwhile for them to come and support this club.”

The attendance against Southampton was just 17,768, almost 800 down on the crowd for the 2-0 defeat to Stoke City a fortnight earlier.

That Potters game was already a new low in the top flight at the KCOM Stadium, underlining the levels of disaffection felt by supporters.

“The players needs that reassurance that what they are trying to do is accepted,” added Phelan. “We know it is hard.

“It can be frustrating; we go through the same emotions every season. But our supporters need to get their bums back on seats, enjoy what they are seeing and, hopefully, get behind the team.”

Phelan, meanwhile, is still waiting to hear the extent of the knee injury that forced Will Keane out of the win over Saints in the first half.

Swelling in the affected area means the medics have been unable to assess the extent of the damage and a further scan is planned.

Hernandez is out for a month with a groin injury sustained in the same game.