The Tigers visit the Brit keen to prove that their win over an alleged understrength Fulham side last weekend was not a flash in the pan. With Tango Brown now on gardening leave they now have Iain Dowie in charge until the end of the season and it remains to be seen if he can do any better than he did alongside Alan Shearer at Newcastle this time last year and help Hull avoid the drop.
The Stoke team will also be on a high after a deserved 1-0 win over Hull’s fellow strugglers, West Ham, at Upton Park last week and another win will push us safely past Tony Pulis’ 40 point landmark and nudge us closer to exceeding last season’s 45 points which is now the players’ goal.
Vital Quotes:
TP knows that his players will need to be on their guard against the Tigers battling for surivial: ‘Iain has had a lot of jobs and everywhere he’s been he’s done it with enthusiasm, and they will be well-organised. We know what to expect – and that’s a very tough game.’
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Stoke City Team News:
Ryan Shawcross seems poised for a return to action after his suspension and subsequent training ground injury has kept him out of the team for the past month with Abdy Faye now also suffering with a knee injury. Dave Kitson has hopefully shrugged off the knock that curtailed his involvement. last week.
Player to watch: Ric Fuller
What can you say about Ric? Infuriating one minute and an absolute genius the next. His second half goal after coming on as a sub last week was pure magic and classic Fuller but why, oh why, was that only his third league goal of the season?
Hull City Team News:
Stoke defender, Ibrahima Sonko, has had a raw deal whilst on loan at the KC this season and despite a good comeback last week he’ll be forced to watch from the sidelines again as his loan agreement forbids him to play against the Potters with Andy Dawson set to replace him. Although Seyi Olofinjani is one ex-Potter who is likely to make an appearance.
Player to watch: Jimmy Bullard
The former Fulham player scored from the penalty spot against his old club last week. He’s been dogged by injuries since joining the Tigers 15 months ago but is a big threat since he can lift his teammates both on and off the pitch.
Match Facts & Stats
Ref Watch:
Lee Probert
Next Fixtures:
Sunday 11th April: Wolves (away) kick-off: 12 noon
Wednesday 14th April: Fulham (away) kick-off: 8pm
Saturday 17th April: Bolton (home) kick-off: 3pm
Vital Stoke
