‘This is why we’re in football’: Rosenior looks forward to biggest home crowd since Premier League

BUOYANT: Liam Rosenior. Pictures by Hull City

By Simon Bristow

Hull City head coach Liam Rosenior has urged his players to “relish” the prospect of playing in front of the biggest home crowd for six years when the Tigers welcome Rotherham United to the MKM Stadium on Saturday.

A bumper crowd in excess of 20,000 is expected to watch the Yorkshire derby, an attendance figure not seen since the club last played in the Premier League.

Speaking at a press conference at City’s training ground in Cottingham today, Rosenior called the expected gate “amazing”, and said it was “some achievement for everyone at the club. I can’t thank the fans enough for turning up, I can’t thank Acun [Ilıcalı,chairman] and Tan [Kesler, vice-chairman] enough for the deals they’ve put in place to make that happen.

“Like I’ve said to you all along since I’ve come here, my job is to have that consistently and I know that we have to perform to get the fans excited to come and watch us play, so it’s a two-way thing. But I think it makes a huge difference.

“I‘ve been here at this club [as a player] when it’s been full every week. It makes a massive difference to the opposition, to your own performance, and hopefully they can come and enjoy a really good game on Saturday.”

‘PROUD’: Goalkeeper Karl Darlow, the fans’ Player of the Month for March

He added: “The fact that there is that excitement back is great and I want to build on that. We have to keep working really, really hard from now until the end of the season to build something really, really good here.”

Asked if he saw it as a vote of confidence in what the club is trying to do, Rosenior said: “Amazing, and it makes me so happy that I’m actually at this club at this point in the club’s history, because I’m aware of the traditions of this football club, I’m aware of the traditions of the city.

“I remember when I first joined Hull there were kids in Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea shirts. By the time I’d left, I’m not saying it was down to me, but being a part of that journey where we got to the FA Cup Final, all you could see were Hull City shirts around the city and I want to create that feeling again.”

Asked if it placed extra pressure on the players, the Tigers boss said: “They should relish it. That’s what you’re in football for, to play in front of full stadiums and to have a real atmosphere in the stadium, that’s why you do it. So I expect no nerves, I expect us to go and play our way and try and dominate the game.”

There was good news on the injury front too, with the hugely impressive on-loan forward Aaron Connolly back in training after injury, although he will not be ready to face the Millers.

Rosenior will also have a welcome selection headache over the goalkeeping position, with fit again Matt Ingram back to challenge Karl Darlow, who has been in fine form over the last five games, also picking up the fans’ Player of the Month award for March.

The workaholic Rosenior said he had enjoyed the international break with a brief visit to London with his family - but had also sat and re-watched all City’s games since he took over in November. He said he was delighted with the progress he saw.

Darlow, who is on loan from Premier League Newcastle, said he was “proud” to have won his award, adding: “I just need to keep performing how I have been and see it through to the end of the season.”

Asked what the mood in the camp was like, Darlow said: “Good. Everyone’s ready for this run of games now, the last eight games, to go and show what we’re about and show how we play. That’s been the main message from the manager, to carry on playing the way he wants us to play to set us up for next season.”

City outclassed Rotherham in a 4-2 win in South Yorkshire in late October - a fixture Rosenior revealed he attended “in disguise”. But they are likely to present a tougher challenge on Saturday, sitting in 20th place in the Championship table, just four points above the drop zone.

The Tigers are in 15th with 47 points, 13 points off the play-offs with 24 to play for.