No end in sight to Tigers’ tailspin

ANDY DAWSON sounded like he meant it, but after hearing the Hull defender insist – yet again – that the club will survive their increasingly desperate relegation battle, the question remained: was he trying to convince the club’s doubters or himself?

Hull’s tailspin towards the bottom three shows no sign of ending after they lost a potentially decisive game here against Stoke and Humberside’s attention will now turn to tonight’s clash between Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

Hull could find themselves in the relegation zone by the time they play at Bolton on Saturday, but Dawson is continuing to beat the survival drum.

“As a professional footballer you’ve got to pick yourself up and on Monday morning we’ll be ready to go again,” said Dawson, who notched an injury-time consolation goal with a well-struck free-kick.

“We’ve still got two games to go, it’s six points. We’ve got to get as many points as we can and hope it’s good enough.

“We’ve got to go to Bolton and hopefully get three points and that’s all we can concentrate on.

“We have enjoyed playing in the best league in the world all season and in the last two games we are going to give everything we can.

“We have got to go out and perform and if we do that to the best of our ability and it is not good enough, fair enough, but I am sure if we do do it to the best of our ability it will be good enough.”

Dawson endured a difficult afternoon courtesy of a revitalised Liam Lawrence, who had an outstanding game on the Stoke right and secured victory with a stunning 25-yard strike after 72 minutes. Lawrence’s effort added to Ricardo Fuller’s opener late in the first half while the equally influential Glenn Whelan also hit the woodwork.

Phil Brown, the Hull manager, was understandably downbeat but paid tribute to the efforts of fellow promoted side Stoke and their manager Tony Pulis, despite their occasionally acrimonious history.

“I’ve known Tony a long time,” Brown said. “A lot of people have made something about the battles we have had over the years but that is football.

“Tony is a winner, he is a good manager and has done a great job this season.”

Pulis, whose remarkably resilient side have survived with something to spare this season, warned of the traps that players can fall into after stepping up to the Premier League.

Hull made a flying start and sat third in the table with 20 points after nine games. At the same time Stoke were 18th with just seven points but Pulis feels he has learned a number of lessons throughout the campaign.

“I think the biggest thing I have learned in this league is that you have to take defeat on the chin,” he said.

“And if you are winning games, don’t get carried away. As soon as you take your foot off the pedal in this league it punishes you.

HULL (4-4-2): Myhill 6, Ricketts 6, Turner 6, Zayatte 5 (Geovanni 67, 5), Dawson 7, Garcia 5 (Mendy 60, 5), Boateng 6, Kilbane 5, Barmby 5, Fagan 4, Cousin 4 (Manucho 60, 4).

Subs Not Used: Duke, Hughes, Halmosi, Marney.

STOKE (4-4-2): Sorensen 7, Wilkinson 6, Shawcross 7, Abdoulaye Faye 8, Cort 7, Lawrence 8, Delap 6, Whelan 7, Etherington 6 (Pugh 85, 5), Beattie 7 (Cresswell 78, 5), Fuller 7 (Kelly 90, 5).

Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Olofinjana, Camara, Sonko.

REFEREE: Howard Webb (South Yorkshire) 6: Made the odd funny decision but nothing too serious.

MATCH RATING: *** Desperate and edgy for long spells but no doubt the better team won.