Grant McCann: ‘It will mean everything to have the fans back’

‘FOOTBALL IS NOTHING WITHOUT FANS’: Grant McCann. Picture: Hull City

Hull City finally welcome fans back to the MKM Stadium on Tuesday, the first home game since being crowned League One Champions, and the first since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. City boss Grant McCann spoke exclusively to Simon Bristow about what it means for the staff and players

Hull City manager Grant McCann says it will “mean everything” to have fans back in the MKM Stadium on Tuesday night, when the club plays its first home game since winning the League One title last season.

The Tigers host Wigan Athletic in Round One of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, in what will also be their first home fixture since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.

Those restrictions meant last season was effectively played behind closed doors - denying supporters the chance to properly celebrate City’s success with the team.

McCann’s men set pulses racing again on Saturday, making a winning return to the Sky Bet Championship with a stunning 4-1 triumph at Preston after going behind to an early goal.

Asked what it will mean to finally have fans back in the stadium, McCann told The Hull Story: “It’s everything, really. Football is nothing without fans. We need our fans back.

“They are the 12th man and they can get that extra five to ten per cent out of us. It’s going to mean everything to have them back in the stadium.”

He added: “I think our fans will hopefully come and give us that help and support. It will be great to see them there with their singing voices and helping to spur us on.”

McCann said it felt “a bit weird” playing to empty stadiums last season, and revealed that “we felt a bit annoyed our fans weren’t there to witness what happened”.

But he said he and the players could see what the title meant to fans when some met them at the training ground after they secured promotion with a win at Lincoln, and others celebrated outside the ground after they beat Wigan to become champions.

City’s bond with supporters this campaign will only be strengthened by the core of Hull-born players running through the team, an unusual feature in the modern game.

‘WE KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO DO’: Grant McCann, right, with assistant manager Cliff Byrne. Picture: Hull City

Lewie Coyle, Jacob Greaves, and Keane Lewis-Potter are Hull-born first-teamers, while many more are homegrown having come through the club’s academy.

McCann said: “One thing that’s different at this football club from last season is there’s lots of Hull-born players in the team, and it means everything for those players.

“And some of the boys who’ve been here for two years or so, they properly love the club and have almost become fans themselves as well.”

Greaves was also excited by the prospect of playing in front of the fans again.

He said: “I think it’s massive having the fans back. You forget how much you miss them. The smile you get as a player and the happiness it gives you when you’ve got your fans there, it’s massive.”

McCann and his players surprised many with their title win last season, and he is unperturbed that many pundits expect them to struggle this campaign. If anything, that takes pressure off the squad.

That does not mean McCann and his young side are not ambitious, although the Tigers boss kept his cards close to his chest when asked what would represent a successful season this time around.

“There’s no point in this league trying to do the bare minimum and staying up,” he said.

“We’ll set targets to the players, where we feel we can push for, which will stay between us and the players for now.

“But what I can say is we’ve got a group of players who want to win and want to perform and get as high as they can, and the staff are exactly the same.

“Hopefully, we can put them together, keep the unity, our togetherness, and have a successful season.”

He added: “A lot of people will look at it differently, but for us we know exactly what we need to do and how we can do it. It’s about that performance and consistency.”

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