Greaves: We must grow up and wise up in our own box
DEFENDER SPELLS OUT WHAT CITY NEED TO IMPROVE
He may only be 21 years of age and playing Championship football for the first time, but Hull City defender Jacob Greaves appears to be a young man with a wise head on his shoulders. Just 11 games into the season and with his hometown club languishing just a place and point outside the relegation zone following Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town, Greaves’ message to the rest of the squad is a simple one.
We have to grow up.
City were not outplayed, they were not out battled and nor were they overawed by a boisterous atmosphere at the John Smith’s stadium, unfortunately, however, for the fourth time in five away trips they lost 2-0 because of the same errors which continue to be made - and continue to be punished at both ends of the pitch.
The theme is recurring and frankly, is getting tiresome.
Based on what we’ve seen so far this season, this is going to be a real tough campaign for Grant Mccann’s men with survival looking like being the key objective.
If that’s going to be realistic, then City, as Greaves says, have to grow up quickly and learn from the succession of mistakes they keep making starting with the visit of fellow strugglers Peterborough United tomorrow night, in what already has the look of a battle of the relegation contenders.
“It’s very disappointing. Matty’s (Ingram) not had much to do in open play and it’s two set-pieces again,” said the youngster, who saw his side concede nine minutes in to a scrambled goal when Ingram failed to deal with a corner.
Duane Holmes made it 2-0 in the closing stages after City failed to clear a corner, and the American was allowed to waltz along the edge of the box before rattling in a terrific strike.
“We’ll have to watch them back and learn from it but it’s not good enough, we’ve got to grow up and wise up in defending our box from set-pieces,” Greaves explained.
“That’s all that’s in the game, two goals from set-pieces and we’re fighting a losing battle.
“The first one is a goalmouth scramble and the second one he’s put it in the top corner from the edge of the box, but there’s definitely things that we can do before that to improve.
“To concede any goal is disappointing, from a set-piece is even more so.”
City were backed by a raucous 2,000 travelling support in West Yorkshire, with many of those calling for a change in ownership - and manager, and Greaves felt an early second half repost would have made a big difference to those in Black and Amber.
“We’ve given our all out there for the fans, it’s a derby and we didn’t get that goal to give us something, I thought they were brilliant and were our 12th man behind the goal. “I think if we’d have got a goal early in the second half they’d have spurred us on all the way to get three points,” he said.
Greaves was forthright when asked if there were any positives to be taken from a fourth 2-0 defeat on the road in their last five.
“None, really. There’s none I think we can take, maybe we got into their final third with some ease, but it’s easy when they sit behind the ball after scoring the first goal, it’s easy to get up there when they’re sitting in and defending the crosses,” he added.
“I think we put a lot of crosses in, though I can’t remember us troubling the keeper too many times.
“We’ll debrief it and hopefully we can take a few positives out of the game.”
Just once have City scored the first goal this season and that came against Middlesbrough before the international break, and they’ve led for a total of 37 minutes in their 12 games, the worst of any team in the second tier.
Getting the first goal is so important albeit something City struggle to find, a factor not lost on the defender. “That first goal is massive, to come away from home to a stadium like this in front of 17,000, it was going to be tough. When they go 1-0 up, their tails are up.
“To be fair to us, we rode the storm quite well,” he said.
“We had a few chances in the first half, we just lacked that final quality.”