Stevenage v Hull City – FA Cup run would be no distraction from Tigers’ primary target of promotion

Grant McCann believes that Hull City are well-equipped to compete on three fronts this season.
Hull City manager Grant McCann. Picture by Simon HulmeHull City manager Grant McCann. Picture by Simon Hulme
Hull City manager Grant McCann. Picture by Simon Hulme

The League One leaders switch their attentions to the FA Cup tomorrow when they will be looking to avoid an upset at the hands of fourth-tier strugglers Stevenage.

And, while McCann says promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt remains top priority, he also fancies a run into the latter stages of both the FA Cup and the Papa Johns (EFL) Trophy.

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“It would be nice to get into the third round,” said McCann. “It would be nice for us to be able to test ourselves against some of the bigger clubs, but we have to take care of Stevenage first, of course. That’s gonna be the first task.

“We’d like to have a run in the FA Cup, a bit like the Papa Johns [Trophy] really, we feel as if we’ve got a good squad and we can give people a lot of games. 

“The league games are the bread and butter. The league is the most important thing for us this season, but it would be nice to have run.

“The FA Cup is a great competition to be involved in and one I’ve always loved, so we’ll try and progress.”

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The Tigers travel to Stevenage in fine fettle having won six on the bounce. By contrast, their hosts have tasted victory just once in 15 matches, though McCann says that there is no danger of complacency creeping in.

“It’s a tough game. We’ve had them watched three times and I know people think I say it every week, but they’re all tough games,” the Tigers’ chief added.

“They’re a team who had their first win in a while on Saturday against Port Vale where they changed their shape.

“They’ve played three or four systems this year so we’re going into the unknown a little bit.”

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