Steve Bruce bullish in face of Hull City's declining fortune

Steve BRUCE still retains the belief that Hull City can earn an instant return to the Premier League despite the club's automatic promotion hopes receding further over the weekend.
Thoughtful managers David Wagner and Steve BruceThoughtful managers David Wagner and Steve Bruce
Thoughtful managers David Wagner and Steve Bruce

The Tigers needed a stoppage- time equaliser from Adama Diomande to rescue a point from a hugely entertaining all-Yorkshire encounter at Huddersfield Town.

Burnley and Middlesbrough both won to leave City nine points adrift of the top two and seemingly on course for the play-offs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I still believe in this team,” Bruce told The Yorkshire Post. “Don’t get me wrong, we have had a horrible run at the worst possible time.

“However, there are six games to go and if we have to go through the play-offs then we will be prepared for that.

“I still believe we have an outstanding chance. And I won’t say the top two is beyond us. We will never give it up.

“We still have six games to go and we can still get 88 points. We have four of those at home.

“Are we capable of winning all six? Yes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I won’t give it up until it is mathematically impossible. We all know what this league is like.

“However, we have to turn those chances round. We can’t keep coming away from games having created five or six really gilt-edged opportunities and not having won.”

Converting chances when they came along was not a problem for another Yorkshire side this weekend.

Rotherham United picked the optimum time to hit the goal trail in spectacular fashion as Neil Warnock’s men thrashed Milton Keynes Dons 4-0 at stadium:mk.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It was enough to move the Millers nine points clear of the third bottom Dons and continue the club’s amazing recent run under Warnock.

“It just goes to show what you can do with a good group who want to listen,” said Warnock of his revitalised Millers.

Elsewhere, the news was less positive for the county with Sheffield Wednesday slipping back a place to sixth courtesy of a 4-1 thrashing at Bristol City.

The Owls’ afternoon started in embarrassing fashion when an oversight saw six loanees named in the matchday squad of 18 when only five are allowed under Football League rules. Only the intervention of an eagle-eyed supporter via social media alerted Wednesday officials to the blunder and Joe Bennett was subsequently withdrawn and replaced by Jack Hunt.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It was a similarly disappointing day for Leeds United, who lost 
1-0 at leaders Burnley despite creating the lion’s share of the chances.

Huddersfield head coach David Wagner could surely have been forgiven for also feeling frustrated after seeing his side denied a first victory over a club in the top eight by Diomande’s late leveller.

But the Town chief was full of praise for his side and, in particular, home debutant Rajiv van La Parra.

“It was a very good performance from Rajiv,” said Wagner about the Wolves loanee, who will make his switch to the John Smith’s Stadium permanent in the summer.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I was very happy that he showed in a home game how good he can be. He needs time but I like to give him a chance against Hull to show his potential against a strong side. He used his chance well.

“What we must do now is make sure we build up his fitness. He has to have power.”

Town fell a place to 19th in the table after being pegged back by the Tigers but Wagner has set his players the target of overhauling Leeds United and claiming a higher league finish than the Elland Road club for the first time since 1962.

“Leeds United are two points ahead of us,” he added. “That is a big target for us, to say at the end of the season we are in front of Leeds United.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“They are 15th now. Everything is very close together but this should be a target, to attack the 15th place.”

As for Bruce, he was left unhappy with City’s defending – especially in a first half that had seen a return to the three-man backline that had helped the East Riding club to promotion three years ago.

“I changed it because you change the personnel and the shape to stimulate something and get a reaction,” said Bruce, who lost captain Michael Dawson to a calf injury just before half-time. “But I thought we were far too open.

“It was end to end after two minutes. That is not great. We were badly exposed. A bit too expansive. We have played with three before but never like that. We were wide open.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“For me, we have not done the basics well enough. There are a lot of people trying too hard, trying to put their own stamp on it. They are being too much of an individual rather than the team.

“You have to concentrate on the simple things and doing your job. Far too many are trying to do others’ jobs at the moment. We have to sort that out. And we will do.”

Match reports: Pages 2-4.