Adkins: We must fight like mad to get out of this

Hull City slipped to 21st place in the Sky Bet Championship following Saturday’s costly 1-0 loss to Sunderland.

Despite a disappointing performance from his Tigers side, Hull boss Nigel Adkins was given a glimmer of hope from a strong finish which saw the Black Cats twice clear off the line to deny Evandro’s fierce shot and ex-Black Cat David Meyler (pictured).

Adkins said: “We finished the game very strongly and were on the front foot.

“Sometimes it’s about fine margins and we have to go and get results.

“Basics done well to an elite level give you the opportunity to go and control games.

“We’re in a relegation battle and we’ve got to fight like mad, collectively, to get out of it.

“It’s not the right time to pick holes, we have to find solutions and we do that by grafting hard for each other.” Adkins was particularly annoyed by Hull’s opening to the game, which was settled by a wellworked Joel Asoro strike. “It’s a bad defeat for us against a team close to us in the table,” admitted the former Sheffield United and Southampton manager.

“For the first 35 minutes, we were nowhere near the level that I expect and the level that we have been, and during that period Sunderland scored.

“The second half was a different game and we put the ball into the right areas but we couldn’t finish it off.

“We’ve had one headed off the line from Evandro’s rocket of a shot and David Meyler was denied right at the end.

“With the goal that we conceded, we weren’t assertive or aggressive enough in what we needed to do.

“We didn’t win our oneon-one duels and battles. The players are aware of that and we have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“The players have been top drawer since I arrived at the club, but the first 35 minutes wasn’t at the level that I was anticipating or expecting after the standards that have been set.It’s a bad loss in respect of we haven’t got the three points that we need.”