Patience key in the big '¨league '“ Phelan

Hull trailed 1-0 at the interval following a desperately poor first period, with fans showing their displeasure at half-time with a barrage of boos.

The Tigers improved markedly on the restart, with the introduction of Adama Diomande to supplement the forward line.

Phelan said: “We can get a little bit hysterical about certain things and supporters can get a little bit irate.

“In the first half, there was a lot of shouting and moaning about getting two up front or whatever. We have to remember that this is the big league and there’s not many doing that with two up front.

“Maybe we were cautious, but, in the end, we showed our spirit and determination.

“I can take criticism. In certain situations being cautious is not something people want to see, but we have to be in a game of football.

“We can’t be out of it after half-an-hour. We have to be patient. We changed it and I had a sub that was experienced and capable of changing a game. Diomande was terrific when he came on, he upped the tempo and showed a lot of spirit. That was the risk we had to take.”

Phelan said of the fans: “They are showing passion about their club, but I think we have to take stock of where we are. We are above where everyone thought we should be.”

Sam Clucas misses tomorrow’s EFL Cup tie with Newcastle United following his fifth booking of the season.