Hull City

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Hull City striker Oli McBurnie has been named the English Football League's player of the month for September.

The summer signing scored in all four matches for the Tigers, with a tally of five goals and an assist.

"I'm delighted to win Championship player of the month. It's been an unbelievable start to the season for me on a personal level," McBurnie told the EFL, external.

"The main thing is the team doing well, and we're showing glimpses of what we can be and what we want to achieve.

"Chipping in with goals and assists always has a positive effect and as a team, we're getting to where we want to be."

McBurnie was given a target of 15 goals this season by boss Sergej Jakirovic and has now scored six across their opening nine league games.

The former Scotland international beat Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan, Ipswich Town winger Jaden Philogene and Charlton right-back James Bree to take the award.

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Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town lead the manager and player of the month awards for September after both sides have remained undefeated and climbed up the Championship table.

Tractor Boys winger Jaden Philogene has been nominated for player of the month after finding the net four times across the side's three completed matches in September, including a hat-trick during their 5-0 drubbing over Sheffield United.

Charlton's James Bree bagged two goals and two assists over their four games to earn his nod.

Addicks boss Nathan Jones and Ipswich's Kieran McKenna both earn manager of the month nominations for their roles in their unbeaten months but face tough competition against Preston North End's Paul Heckingbottom and Queens Park Rangers' Julien Stephen.

Both also enjoyed an undefeated September, with Preston and QPR currently residing in the top six.

Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan and Hull City's Ollie McBurnie round out the player nominations.

McBurnie scored in each of the side's four games to produce five goals in September, while Bannan helped earn Wednesday five points with an opening goal in their first league win of the season against Portsmouth and two assists.

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Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic described his side's 1-0 win over fellow Championship strugglers Sheffield United as "massive".

Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside: "From the first minute you could see it would be a battle on every inch of the pitch.

"They had good possession and we were lucky when they hit the post, but we always had our moments.

"Thank God Ivor saved the penalty. I am very happy for him. It is a big relief for Ivor and a good boost for his confidence. I am very happy. We had a clean sheet and we were very strong defensively.

"In the second half we could have won the game with some chances.

"The clean sheet was important. When we had possession, if we lost it, we knew it was difficult against this side."

Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic says "he feels 50/50" about winger Liam Millar joining up with Canada over the international break as he makes his comeback from lengthy knee injury.

The 26-year-old made his first appearance of the season on Tuesday against Preston North End after being sidelined for almost a full year with an ACL tear.

"You cannot stop him," Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside.

"For us, it's a problem because it's coming up to the World Cup so every player in the world wants to be part of this. So he will go there and we will see.

"We sent an email to the federation, to the fitness coach, what his condition is and they are very fair, I will admit. He will play, for sure, some minutes but they know everything about his condition - this is very important."

Defender Ryan Giles is fit after suffering from cramp during Tuesday's draw, while midfielder Matt Crooks is back training and could possibly be in the squad for Saturday's game against Sheffield United (12:30 BST).

Forward Joel Ndala is expected to return after the next international break but winger Mohamed Belloumi is still "a few weeks" away from recovery.

Meanwhile, midfielder Eliot Matazo is hoping he will be fully recovered from a long-term ACL injury in November but Jakirovic feels it may be a bit longer.

"I'm betting him that if he will be [fit next month] I will give him whatever he wants. Because we have examples from Mo Belloumi and Liam Millar, it was like eight months, nine months, then 11 months," the Bosnian added.

"He's very optimistic, this is a good attitude, but I am more realistic."

Listen to the full interview with Jakirovic and more Hull City content on BBC Sounds.

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Chris Wilder's quest to haul Sheffield United off the bottom of the Championship takes the Blades east to Hull City on Saturday lunchtime (12:30 BST).

Tuesday's 2-1 home defeat to Southampton was a seventh in eight league games for United, who are still only three points adrift of fourth-bottom Oxford United, albeit with a goal difference of -12, by far the worst in the division, though the only side to have conceded more than their 15 is Saturday's hosts, with 16.

Wilder will face a familiar face at the MKM Stadium as Oli McBurnie - who spent five seasons at Bramall Lane - is leading the line for the Tigers and is in the best form of his career.

The 29-year-old Scot bagged a second-half brace at home to Preston on Tuesday as City followed-up their impressive 3-1 win over Southampton in their previous home match.

• Hull City have won just one of their past eight league games against Sheffield United (D1 L6), failing to score in six, though the Tigers did win the last meeting 3-0 in January earlier this year.

• Sheffield United have won each of their past four away league games against Hull City, scoring 2+ goals in each of those victories.

• Hull City have only kept one clean sheet in their past 25 home league games, while that came in March against a Plymouth side who went on to be relegated from the Championship (2-0 win).

• Sheffield United have lost seven of their eight Championship matches this season (W1). It took them until their 40th match of the previous league campaign to suffer their seventh defeat.

• Ahead of facing his former side, Oli McBurnie has netted in four consecutive Championship appearances (five goals); his longest ever scoring run in the top four tiers of English football.

Hull City striker Oli McBurnie has given insight into the dressing room at half-time during their 2-2 draw with Preston North End at MKM Stadium.

City were caught caught cold early on, finding themselves two goals behind in the opening 10 minutes.

McBurnie led the charge with both goals as the Tigers mounted a second-half comeback to rescue a point.

The Scotland striker discussed the half-time process as his side looked to claw their way back into the game.

"It's a bit like the story of our season really - one half really good, and one half really bad. Conceding two goals so early on, giving ourselves an uphill battle is not ideal," McBurnie told BBC Radio Humberside.

"At half-time we said 'let's see what we're about, let's see what we're made of'. Times like this is where you can find out a lot about the boys in the dressing room. The skipper said at half-time 'let's put it to bed, we'll speak about it afterwards, let's see what we're made of now'.

"I think we've come out in the second half and looked like a completely different team and showed how good we can be when we're on the front foot."

Hull appointed head coach Sergej Jakirovic in June and the Bosnian has experienced an inconsistent start from his side in the opening eight games of the season.

McBurnie was one of 12 new summer signings and quick to praise Jakirovic for his triple substitution at half-time that saw Liam Millar, Joe Gelhardt and Regan Slater replace Amir Hadziahmetovic, Cody Drameh and Kasey Palmer.

"The gaffer's made three changes," he said. "I thought the boys who came on were excellent - it gave us real energy and it impacted the game in the way that we wanted to. Buzzing for Liam [Millar] to come on after being out for so long but I thought all the boys that came on really changed us for the positive.

"That's not just saying the boys that came off, it was their fault, because any of us could have been taken off at half-time. But the gaffer showing the initiative to know that we needed to change something did it, and it's worked out perfectly.

"We're disappointed not to come away with the three points because I think we were good enough in the second half to do that, and to be fair their keeper has pulled one out the stands in the 94th minute to keep them in the game."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds

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Hull head coach Sergej Jakirovic was pleased with his side's fightback from 2-0 down after a poor first-half display against Preston.

"It was a great reaction from the players at half-time," Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside. "At the end we have to be satisfied with this point.

"We tried everything in the second half to turn this game, we needed to be better on the ball and take more risks. We made three substitutions, they lifted us and brought us a lot of energy on the pitch and also we were very dangerous in the attacking phase.

"In the first half we made too many mistakes, we were struggling all half because we lost our confidence and we didn't cover the ball well.

"They were better in challenges than us and this was something we needed to change at half-time, to bring more fight, more character to put them under pressure, especially if we scored in the first 15 minutes."

Hull City captain Lewis Coyle says he feels in a good spot physically despite missing pre-season due to a hamstring injury.

Coyle has made four Championship appearances this season, his most recent in a 2-1 defeat by Watford on Saturday.

The 29-year-old defender says he was lucky his injury only kept him out for seven weeks and insists the Tigers are in a good place despite a so-so start that has yielded eight points from seven games.

"We've still got a few players to come back that have been a huge miss for us - I think when we have a fully fit and healthy squad, we do have a fantastic squad in the Championship," Coyle told BBC Radio Humberside.

"I'm glad to be back out there to help the boys as much as I can.

"It's nice to get the approval of the manager - for me, it's always been an honour to be captain. If different managers come in and have a different opinion, that would be something I'd have to respect.

"I've always had good lads around me that have helped me - and the lads who have come in, the standard of training has gone up massively."

Hull City next host Preston North End on Tuesday (19:45 BST).

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

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Hull City return to the MKM aiming to get back to winning ways after being stunned by Watford late-on in a 2-1 defeat on Saturday.

The Tigers romped to a 3-1 win over Southampton in their most recent home game and though they are the fifth-leading scorers in the division with 11, nobody has conceded more than the 14 they have shipped.

Preston are the visitors on Tuesday night (19:45 BST) and head east on a three-match unbeaten run after a goalless draw at home to Bristol City on Saturday.

The Lilywhites have lost only one of their seven Championship matches to lie in sixth, though their sole defeat did come on the road at Portsmouth, and while they have only scored seven times in as many games, they have the best defence in the second tier with just five conceded.

• Hull have only lost one of their past six league meetings with Preston (W2 D3), and could win back-to-back league games against the Lilywhites for the first time since November 2019.

• Preston have only enjoyed two wins in their past 12 league visits to Hull (D3 L7), a 2-1 triumph in September 2017 and a 1-0 win in February 2022.

• Hull have alternated between winning (3) and losing (2) their last five home league games, beating Southampton 3-1 last time out. The Yorkshire side have managed just one clean sheet in their past 24 at home in the Championship (2-0 v Plymouth in March).

• After their 1-0 win at Derby, Preston are looking for back-to-back away league victories for the first time since March 2024 (3 in a row).

• Hull's Oli McBurnie has five goal involvements (2 goals, 3 assists) in three home league games this season, both scoring and assisting in two of them.

Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic lamented his side's inability to score a second goal as his slide slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Watford after taking the lead at Vicarage Road.

The Bosnian told BBC Radio Humberside: "There was too big a difference between the first and second half and that needs to improve.

"In my opinion we were the much better team and we had a couple of chances to score a second or third, and we didn't do that.

"We knew they would react in the second half but I never felt we were under pressure, but both goals we could have defended better.

"When we lose the ball they are really dangerous – maybe the best in the league. But we were very poor in the second half, I do not know why."

Watford boss Paulo Pezzolano will be looking to ease some pressure as the side welcome Hull City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Hornets have lost their past two games to see them just hovering above the relegation zone and put Pezzolano under the microscope at a club known to have little patience when it comes to under-performing managers.

Perhaps it's a good time to face a side that hasn't been able to do much damage in recent years, but the Tigers are coming off a huge 3-1 win over Southampton and it could be just the confidence boost they need to break Watford's unbeaten run.

• Watford are unbeaten in their last four league games against Hull (W2 D2), winning this exact fixture 1-0 back in April last season.

• Hull have failed to either win (D2 L2) or score in any of their last four away league games against Watford since a 2-1 win in December 2012.

• Watford have won just one of their last 11 league games (D3 L7), beating QPR 2-1 in their first home game of the season.

• Having beaten Southampton 3-1 last time out, Hull are looking to secure consecutive league victories for the first time since a run of three ending in October 2024.

• No Championship player has been involved in more goals than Hull's Oliver McBurnie this season (6), with his three goals and three assists all coming in his last five appearances.

Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic has revealed midfielder Mohamed Belloumi will be sidelined for at least six weeks with a hamstring injury.

The 23-year-old made his first start for 11 months in last Saturday's 3-1 Championship win over Southampton after recovering from a serious knee problem, but was forced off just before half-time.

"He is positive and I also try to be very positive to lift him up because I told him after 11 months out, what is six to eight weeks? Nothing, but it's not easy to be strong in your mindset," Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside.

"Eight weeks is the maximum for him to be out but we expect him back in six weeks."

Belloumi has scored two goals in the 14 league appearances he has managed for the Tigers since joining from Portuguese side Farense in August 2024 and Jakirovic has liked what he has seen of the Algerian since he took over as head coach in June.

"He showed his qualities in the 120 minutes he has played since his return, especially one-on-one when attacking the defensive line," Jakirovic added.

"He's a very good player so it's a big impact for us but we have to stay positive and think in six weeks he will be back and the international break helps us for two weeks so we'll be without him for [only] four weeks when we have games."

Hull City return to Championship action at Watford on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Hull City sporting director Jared Dublin believes the turmoil at Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday has played a role in the English Football League's decision not to fully overturn the Tigers' transfer sanctions.

Hull were initially given a three-window transfer fee restriction after missing payments for loan players but saw that sanction reduced to two, with the third window suspended, after an appeal.

"I believe the circumstances around Sheffield Wednesday played a part," Dublin told BBC Radio Humberside.

"Whether that's conscious, subconscious, or as a larger concern within regards to ownership within the Championship specifically.

"Had this happened without the Sheffield Wednesday situation, would things have been different? Legally, they will say 'no' but from my perspective there's a big drive from the EFL to make sure these situations like Sheffield Wednesday don't happen.

"I don't think we are anywhere near that level of financial strain and stress and disappointment but we've been given our ruling and we have to live with it."

Listen to the full interview with Dublin and more Tigers content on BBC Sounds.

A potential move to take the Championship play-offs down to eighth place would damage the competition's credibility, according to former Huddersfield, Stoke and Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith.

The EFL board is set to discuss proposals to increase the number of teams in the end-of-season play-offs from four to six but Smith, who was promoted to the Premier League with Huddersfield via the play-offs in 2017 is not a fan of the idea.

"It's not for me - I think it suits teams who don't really have a chance to get in the top six," he told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+.

"From a credibility point of view the top six is there to be aimed at and you have to earn your place in it."

The play-offs were first introduced for the 1986-87 season where sides finishing third down to fifth were involved along with the team third-from-bottom in the top flight.

After two seasons the format was changed to be played out between teams finishing third to sixth in the second tier.

"To finish eighth in the Championship and potentially get promoted to the Premier League it just doesn't sit right with me," added Smith.

"Notoriously over the past years getting into the top six is tough and when you get in there after a long hard season it feels brilliant, so to make it a top eight it dilutes it."

Hull City striker Oli McBurnie says that boss Sergej Jakirovic keeps reminding him of his goal targets after he scored his third of the season in their 3-1 win against Southampton on Saturday.

The Scotland international was set a target of 15 goals by Jakirovic when he joined from Las Palmas in the summer and it is a number he is not being allowed to forget.

"He [Jakirovic] keeps reminding me, he just said after the game 'how many more?'," McBurnie told BBC Radio Humberside.

"Him and the chairman, every time they see me, they keep reminding me there's a tally I need to get to so I'm just trying to get there."

The 29-year-old has three goals and three assists to his name across the Tigers' opening six Championship games, plus a fourth strike in their Carabao Cup loss to Wrexham in August.

However, regardless of his own personal ambitions, McBurnie believes that the helping his team-mates find the net is just as valuable as taking the glory for himself.

"You are going to be judged on your goals as a striker," he added.

"I think only scored five goals last year and maybe eight assists, so it gets to 'oh, you only scored five goals'. It always reverts back to you're a striker and you need to score goals.

"If you get 13 goal contributions - goals or assists - it means you and your team have got 13 goals so it doesn't matter if you've scored or anyone else has scored."

Listen to the full post-match interview with McBurnie and more Hull City content on BBC Sounds.

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Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic believes it was his side's shape that was the reason behind their 3-1 win against Southampton on Saturday.

Goals from Kyle Joseph, John Lundstram and Oli McBurnie saw off a struggling Southampton all despite the Tigers having less than 30% possession of the ball.

"I'm very happy because the players put everything out on the pitch with energy, with intensity," said the Bosnian to BBC Radio Humberside.

"We were struggling in some situations because Southampton is a very good team, invest a lot of money and they will fight for promotion for sure because this is traditional.

"I knew we wouldn't have the ball because they are very good in possession, but the plan was that we were compact if we are low or in the middle zone.

"At the end it succeeded because we scored three beautiful goals, especially with crosses, because when we analysed Southampton they struggled with controlling the players in the box."

Southampton go in search of their first Championship win since the opening day of the season when they head to Hull City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Saints have drawn three and lost one of their four fixtures since beating Wrexham in dramatic fashion, but are still one point and five places better off than the Tigers before their meeting at the MKM.

City salvaged a point at Swansea last time out but the 2-2 draw meant they had conceded 11 goals in their past four games, which earned them four points.

• Hull City won their last league meeting with Southampton in February 2024 but haven't won back-to-back matches against the Saints since the 1950-51 second tier campaign (4-1 home, 3-2 away).

• Southampton have won four of their last five away league visits to Hull City (L1), winning 2-1 in their most recent trip in 2023-24.

• Only Wrexham's Championship matches (164) have seen more shots than Hull's games (150 – 69 for, 81 against).

• The Tigers have conceded two or more goals in each of their last four league games, having not done so in any 16 games beforehand.

• Southampton have won just two of their last 33 league matches (D8 L23), drawing each of their last two. The Saints last drew three in a row in August/September 2021 (four consecutively).

• Hull City striker Oli McBurnie could make his 250th appearance in the top four tiers of English football. He has, however, never scored in five previous outings vs Southampton, only facing Bristol City (7) more times without scoring among current Championship clubs.