Target set as Dowie plots Hull City's survival campaign

The new Tigers manager's first game ended in heartache as rock-bottom Portsmouth came from 2-1 down with just two minutes remaining to win 3-2.

With Wolverhampton Wanderers having claimed a point at Champions League-hopefuls Aston Villa earlier in the day and Wigan Athletic beating Burnley in equally dramatic fashion, it ended up being a bad day at the office for City whose only comfort was West Ham United losing at Arsenal.

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The defeat at Fratton Park left Hull second-bottom with 24 points from 30 games – meaning the equivalent of four victories will be needed to meet Dowie's target to stay up.

For a team who have won just five times all season, it seems a tall order but the Tigers chief is adamant his new group of players can do just that.

He said: "We have a target and a set goal. Losing to Portsmouth was a disappointment because we wanted points.

"But I doubt anyone in the ground would say we didn't deserve something but that is the Premier League.

"Everyone says 35 or 36 points will be needed to stay up and I would imagine that being right this season.

"What I will say is I feel more positive after that performance. I wanted a response from the players and I got that.

"We could very easily be here talking about a great result and our first away win in a year.

"I believe there is enough in this squad to keep us up. No doubt about that."

The manner of City's defeat was particularly cruel with goals from Jamie O'Hara and Kanu at the death turning what looked like being a vital win into defeat.

Despite his desperate sense of disappointment, Dowie felt there were plenty of positives to take from his managerial bow.

Chief among those was the return to action – and goalscoring form – of Caleb Folan, the striker frozen out by Phil Brown and shipped out on loan to Middlesbrough in September.

A change of manager at the Riverside plus a hamstring injury meant he played just once for Boro in a 5-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion before being sent back to the KC Stadium.

Since regaining fitness, Folan has had to be content with a place in the reserves only to be thrust back into action by Dowie at Fratton Park where he responded by netting twice – his first goals since the team's opening-day win over Fulham at the KC Stadium last season.

Dowie said: "I had a feeling about Caleb in training on Thursday when he gave Steven Mouyokolo and Paul McShane a bit of an issue.

"Kamel Ghilas was available but I wanted to put Caleb in the squad. I didn't think he would have to play but then Jozy (Altidore) pulled out with a hamstring injury and Amr Zaki hurt his knee.

"Sometimes, events conspire to let you seize the day and I thought Caleb did very well.

"I thought he worked very hard, which is difficult because that was his first 90 minutes in a very long time.

"It was a positive, but I also thought there were plenty of others. We hit the post early on and also played some good football, while Dean Marney did well in the game as well.

"There were good things. But what I didn't like was how we got a bit sloppy in our free-kick count towards the end.

"We made a big point before the game of the need to limit them. We did that in the first half but not the second."

It was a needless free-kick given away on the edge of the penalty area that allowed O'Hara to curl an 88th-minute strike around the City defensive wall to equalise.

Worse was to follow within 60 seconds when a mistake by Richard Garcia gifted possession to Nadir Belhadj, who crossed for Kanu to net the winner.

Despite such a cruel ending to his first game in charge, Dowie still found grounds for optimism to build on ahead of Fulham's visit to the East Riding this coming Saturday.

The City chief, who revealed new captain Andy Dawson had been substituted due to a hamstring injury, said: "The spirit we showed along with the tenacity was very pleasing.

"We are on the bad end of a result but we have to use that disappointment to help steer us through what are eight massive games.

"There were a lot of positives out there and we will show the players them on DVD so that, come next Saturday at home to Fulham, we can give someone else this awful feeling.

"We have good players still to come in with Stephen Hunt, our top goalscorer, missing along with Jozy Altidore and Amr Zaki."

The size of their task, however, is evident for all to see.