Adkins delight at Hull comeback

IT IS never a good sign when a manager starts to question his future before August is out, but maybe Nigel Adkins can stop being quite so hard on himself. At least the Hull boss knows his players are trying to make a fist of it, even if there is still an awful lot of room for improvement. A first Championship win of the season will have to do, for now. Maybe a pat on the back for the way the team responded to going behind to a Richard Wood header, and a silent prayer of thanks that no-one crumbled when substitute Jamie Proctor’s late goal sparked an onslaught. In between, Jackson Irvine scored twice and Fraizer Campbell once in front of 1,125 travelling fans to suggest an attacking threat for the campaign ahead. yet Adkins did not need reminding that Rotherham took the lead after 15 minutes when Wood converted Ryan Manning’s corner. ‘We played some really good football. It’s a shame we went behind, but we responded in the right manner, we played football,’ Adkins said. ‘We have had to show a different side, the grit, the determination. The players have grown in stature, which is pleasing.’ And the downbeat message from Adkins after the home defeat by Blackburn has been erased. It confirmed Hull’s worst start to a season for 12 years and was greeted by jeers, but now they are out of the relegation zone. He added: ‘I’m passionate about what I do. I want to go on and build something. It was brilliant tonight.’