Injury woe for Tigers as squad down to ‘bare bones’
WON’T HAND OUT DEBUTS ‘LIKE CONFETTI’: Liam Rosenior. Picture by Hull City
By Simon Bristow
Injuries have stripped Hull City’s squad down to the “bare bones” as they prepare for two of the toughest away games in this season’s Sky Bet Championship.
First up is a trip to Ewood Park to face promotion-chasing Blackburn on Saturday, quickly followed by a visit to fourth-placed Middlesbrough four days later.
The Blackburn clash is the first of a gruelling three-match week that concludes on Saturday, April 22, when Watford visit the MKM Stadium.
Speaking at a press conference today at City’s Cottingham training ground, head coach Liam Rosenior revealed he will have to draw on all the resources at his disposal to negotiate the tricky run of fixtures. But he remained tight-lipped about which members of the squad were ruled out.
Asked about injuries, Rosenior said: “We’ve got a few that I don’t want to talk about, a few extra ones, which is unfortunate. I don’t want to give anything away at this stage because we’re still waiting to see if they’ll be fit for the game on Saturday.
“But I’m not going to lie – we’re down to the bare bones, so I’m going to have to be really careful. At the moment we’ve had a few extra ones that weren’t expected from the game against Millwall.”
He added: “They’re not long-term, they just could be doubts for possibly the next two games, Saturday and Wednesday. It’s not ideal with the injury record that we’ve got and the players that we’re already missing. But I know that whatever team we put out we’ll compete and fight and play good football and that’s all I’m looking for.”
The Tigers boss did confirm, however, that players currently sidelined include season top-scorer Óscar Estupiñán, and the impressive loan forward Aaron Connolly.
Despite City’s injury woes, Rosenior said he would not be handing out debuts to younger players “like confetti”, and anyone selected would have to “earn it”.
He said: “We are on 52 point, we need to get as many points on the board as possible and finish the season in the strongest possible way. It’s not going to be a time where I’m just handing out debuts like confetti, because I want to win games of football.
“If any young player plays, or if any young player comes onto the pitch off the bench, it’s because they’ve earned the opportunity, and that’s how it has to be at this club. To put on the shirt you have to earn it. There’s a few of them knocking on the door and we’ll see what happens between now and the end of the season.”
One player who is likely to form a key part of Rosenior’s plans, however, is Turkey international Ozan Tufan, whose hard work on the training ground has added endurance to his undoubted technical ability.
The midfielder reaped the rewards with a brace in the thrilling 4-4 draw at Sunderland over the Easter weekend, scoring the opener and still being around to score from the spot with dramatic last-gasp equaliser deep into injury team.
It was an issue he covered when he spoke to reporters before his manager.
PENALTY HERO: Ozan Tufan, who scored a last-gasp equaliser from the spot at Sunderland. Picture by Hull City
Ozan, who was speaking through an interpreter, said of the Sunderland game: “I believe it was one of the games of the season, both for the fans and the players who were on the pitch, and also for myself too, being able to score two goals in such a tough game.”
Asked about how he coped with the pressure of taking the penalty, he said: “People see penalties as like fifty-fifties between the scorer and the ‘keeper. However, in that moment I was confident in myself that when I picked up the ball to put it on the spot I knew that I would score that penalty, 99 per cent.
“While taking penalties I look at the keeper before I get the ball and I look at the ‘keeper right before when I shoot the ball, when my foot is next to the ball, and I trust and believe [in] myself to score a penalty in that stressful occasion.”
He added: “It was a sad moment for nearly 50,000 fans there and their players. However, being on the other side it was a happy moment to score.”
Asked about being trusted by the manager to stay the course and have that responsibility, Ozan said: “There are some games that I go off after the 60th or 70th minute, but when the gaffer keeps me on to the 90th, and in that case to nearly the 100th minute, I feel strong and I feel that the gaffer trusts me to be on the pitch for that long to affect the game, and I believe in this instance I’ve gained his trust and paid him back with a last-minute goal.”
City took a creditable four points from the Easter programme, concluding with a hard-fought 1-0 home win against Millwall on Monday.
The Tigers are 16th in the table with five games to play – ten points off the play-offs and 11 above the relegation zone.