Long excited by Jelavic partnership

Shane Long is confident he can form a prolific partnership at Hull City with Nikica Jelavic.

Hull splashed out in excess of €16m last month to sign Tipperary-born Long from West Bromwich Albion and Jelavic from Everton. They starred together against Tottenham last weekend when Long scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw.

“Hopefully myself and Jela can make a difference on the field and help the club climb the table,” Long said.

“I can already sense an understanding there and it’s exciting. Nikica is a very good player and easy to play with. The first thing we think about when we get the ball is where on the pitch the other one is.

“Although it’s still early days, I think it can grow into something good. I was happy to score on Saturday and it was just disappointing it didn’t lead to all three points because I thought we played well.

“The ball broke for me and I just had to concentrate on my first touch and get the ball out in front of me. That set me up for the finish and it was nice to see it hit the back of the net.

“I’ve settled in straight away. Normally when you go to a new club, there’s a few different groups within that club.”