IN-FORM GROSICKI FEELING CHIPPER
GRANT McCann believes Hull’s crushing victory over Birmingham is the perfect pick-me-up ahead of the busy festive period.
McCann’s side are now just four points off the play-off places following their third consecutive home win.
Hull were deserved winners, but it required a neat header from Tom Eaves in first-half injury-time to get the hosts up and running.
Blues never looked like getting back into the game from there on in, and conceded a second through’s Kamil Grosicki clever chip.
Hull-born striker Keane Lewis-Potter then added a late third with a drilled finish.
McCann said: “This performance will give us a lot of confidence going into three games in such a short space of time.
“We’ve another tough game against Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day and we’ll look to do the same again.
“I stand by what I’ve said – we’re at the halfway point and 33 points is not good enough.
“We’ve got a lot of learning and a lot more improvement to do in the second half of the season. We’re OK, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
Winger Josh Bowler set the early tone for Hull when he cut inside from the right and let rip with a smart strike that was deflected for a corner.
In the 25th minute, a mix-up between Leo Lopes and Jordy de Wijs allowed Jeremie Bela space inside Hull’s penalty area.
Lopes, seemingly desperate to make up for his early mistake, bustled Bela towards the ground.
Birmingham manager Pep Clotet was convinced a penalty should have been awarded, but referee Anthony Backhouse was unmoved.
Just when it appeared the hosts’ brightness had dimmed, Eaves scored his fourth league goal of the season.
Hull’s set-pieces had been poor, but Grosicki finally got it right with a perfect leftsided corner from which Eaves glanced the ball over Connal Trueman and into the back of the net.
And Grosicki effectively put the game beyond Birmingham with a lovely second goal, delicately chipping the ball over the onrushing Trueman.
Clotet’s men should have scored after 74 minutes when Alvaro Giminez inexplicably headed Jefferson Montero’s cross wide inside the six-yard box.
Hull had already done enough, though, and later made it 3-0 thanks to Lewis-Potter’s powerful, skidding shot with his right foot.
Clotet said: “We have been awarded one penalty in 23 games so you can make your own numbers there.
“We send a report after every game because they ask us to do that, and we always get a letter back saying, ‘You were right, it should have been (a penalty) but it’s not been awarded’.
“A referee’s action is not an action to justify a result, but obviously some decision go against you and you need to be prepared – it’s part of football.
“Two things affected the game too much. The first is that clear penalty which was not awarded.
“The second thing is that corner that we gave them (that led to Eaves’ goal) at the end of the first half was poorly defended.”