By Tom Coates
Consistency is everything in the Championship. A marathon spread across 46 games, those successful in the second tier know that it comes down to performing week-in-week-out. It's no good taking until January to get going or fizzling out with ten games to go because you'll find yourselves firmly adrift from promotion before you know it.
After finishing in 15th, far from the threat of relegation but out of contention for any of the playoff positions, Hull City know all too well the burden of inconsistency. A season defined by injuries, managerial changes, and enough new signings for an eleven of their own, there are few things in East Yorkshire the same as when the curtain closed on the 21/22 season almost a year ago.
It's during this transition period that Regan Slater has thrived. One of a select few to retain their starting spots following the summer shopping spree, Slater has been a mainstay in the Hull eleven, arguably one of the only constants in a season where it seemed nobody was safe from injury, rotation or the sack.
Slater appeared in 44 of Hull's 46 league games, starting in all but one of these ties. The midfielder's only omission from the Tiger's team sheet came in the October loss to Birmingham where a fifth yellow card in the previous fixture consigned Slater to watching from the stands as the Blues ran out 2-0 winners on the day.
At a club in which every late challenge or light hobble is met with perpetual fear, it's refreshing to have at least one player durable enough to withstand the athletic pressures of a Championship season. It's all well and good signing a raft of talent but ultimately, if they spend more time on the treatment table than on the pitch, there's limited value to keeping them around.
This ability to meet the physical demands of a season stems from Slater's presence in the EFL from an early age. Netting on his debut for Sheffield United aged just seventeen, Slater has racked up 134 league appearances across six seasons throughout the football league. The culture of Tuesday night games and long coach journeys across the country is embedded in Slater's DNA. Whilst imports from abroad must adapt to this schedule, it's all the twenty-three-year-old has ever known.
A central midfielder by trade but certainly not restricted to the middle of the park, Slater is the kind of player a manager relishes. Willing to adapt their game or change position for the entire team’s benefit, even if a detriment to their individual performance.
When Oscar Estupinan faced a three-game suspension following a straight red card against Millwall, Hull's top scorer joined the likes of Benjamin Tetteh and Allahyar Sayyadmanesh on the side-lines. This left Hull manager, Liam Rosenior without any of his first-choice attackers following the goalless draw in South London.
The next game at Cardiff looked certain to emulate the lack of goalmouth found at Millwall with the Tiger's makeshift front four sharing just four league goals previous to the visit to the Welsh capital. Despite Dimitrios Pelkas' early opener, two goals for the hosts with sixty minutes on the clock nullified the Hull lead.
Coming back from a losing position is difficult enough but with no recognised strikers on the pitch, it was near enough impossible to see a way back for the away side. For a man who had only scored two league goals throughout his entire Tigers career, few had Slater down as the man to rescue the points for Hull. However, after scoring twice in as many minutes to put his side back in front, any doubts over Slater's ability to perform on the attacking front were firmly put to bed.
The first, a precise finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the box, followed up by a well-struck first-time effort saw Hull take home all three points and give Liam Rosenior his first win as Hull manager.
Knowing that Slater had just secured his first three points at the helm of Hull City, Rosenior could not contain his joy telling reporters:
“I’ve fallen in love with the kid already... he excites me because he plays with energy, and he plays with quality.“
As much as the star signings always find a way to grab the headlines, managers rely on those who are willing to give 100% every time they step foot on the pitch.
Slater is a manager's player; the kind of person a coach wishes they could clone eleven times. Standing at just 5ft8, sticking him between the sticks may not be the best idea, but for footballers like Slater, their best assets are not technical or physical but rather mental. It's the ability to play any position against any team and never complain or lose focus. A skill arguably more important than anything you can do with the ball at your feet.
Slater's spell on the wing in the absence of regular attacking talent was uncharted territory for the midfielder. Results were mixed as someone used to the middle of the park adapted to being closer to the touchline but as performances read as a mixed bag, his attitude and effort never faltered.
Subsequent goals against Reading and Sunderland saw Slater's tally for the season rise to five goals, the third most of any player behind summer signings Estupinan and Ozan Tufan. Equally as impressive is the four assists accumulated by the midfielder, the highest amongst any of his teammates.
Putting up these numbers in the context of Hull's turbulent season has seen Slater shine as one of the Tiger's standout stars this campaign. When reflecting upon the season, Oscar and Tufan will be praised for showing up in the big moments and Sean McLoughlin's defensive prowess will surely be recognised but to neglect the work Slater has put in would be to cast aside one of Hull's brightest talents.
Following his stellar season in Black and Amber, Slater was awarded the Player’s Player and Fans Player of the Year for his efforts and is the latest player to have committed his long-term future to the club, extending his stay in East Yorkshire for another three years.
Not bad for fifty grand...
