By Tom Coates
Fixtures against Bristol City tend to bring about memories of superb volleys and promotion victories with Dean Windass' winning goal in the 2008 play off final still giving Robin's fans nightmares some fifteen years later.
Friday night gives Hull City a chance to make it three wins on the bounce. A convincing win at home to Sheffield Wednesday alongside last weekend's victory against Blackburn has raised spirits at the MKM Stadium after a lacklustre start to the campaign.
Bristol City come into the fixture with four points to start the season. A draw and a win in their opening two games followed by a home defeat to Birmingham has left The Robins with a mixed bag from their first three outings.
To add insult to injury, Saturday's loss saw Robin's centre-back, Rob Dickie, leave the pitch prematurely after receiving a second yellow card late into the game. Dickie, who swapped London for Bristol after signing from QPR this summer, has been a staple throughout the early passages of the season and will leave a gap in The Robin's defence going into tomorrow's game.
Dickie will join fellow new signing, Ross McCrorie on the side-lines for this fixture. The defender, who joined from Aberdeen for £2million is yet to make an appearance for Bristol due to a long-term injury and has left Nigel Pearson with a headache going into this game. Kal Naismith, who has only just recovered from injury himself, stepped in after Dickie's dismissal and will likely fill the void on Friday night.
This make-shift defensive pairing will prove fertile ground for Hull's attackers to thrive. Liam Delap has been a standout performer in the first three games and will want to add to his goal in the opening fixture at Norwich. A handful for defenders, the lack of sharpness amongst Bristol's defensive partnership will surely be capitalised on by the 20-year-old.
Other striking options come in the form of Aaron Connolly who comes off the back of a brace off the bench against Blackburn. With three goals in less than an hour on the pitch this season, the Irishman has surely made a strong case for his inclusion from the start for this match. Connolly may likely start in the place of Adama Traore, who the former Brighton man replaced on Saturday and is one yellow card away from a suspension.
Whilst the away side try to plug defensive holes, Hull's back four looks set in stone. Jacob Greaves' return to full-back has been a revelation for The Tigers, adding a layer of security to the backline and providing a platform for his right sided compatriot, Lewie Coyle, to thrive.
The Tiger's defence should be fairly quiet during the match with Bristol City boasting some of the poorest attacking numbers in the division. Managing just two goals from three games, The Robins have rarely threatened their opponent's goal. Of their twenty eight shots, just three have been on target, the lowest total for any Championship side.
Part of the attacking plights endured by Bristol has come from the injury to key player, Andreas Weimann. The Austrian, who has scored 28 goals over the last two seasons, had to leave the pitch just twenty minutes into their opening fixture and is unlikely to be available for this game.
As far as the home team are concerned, Hull appear to have so far escaped the injury crisis that plagued much of last season. Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Hull boss, Liam Rosenior, confirmed that both Ozan Tufan and Ruben Vinagre, who did not take part in Monday's open training session, will be available for Friday's fixture.
Allahyar Sayyadmanesh and Doğukan Sinik appear to be slowly progressing towards full fitness after missing much of the summer with injuries. Whilst the former has been back in full training this week, neither player will be ready to contribute on the pitch as of right now and likely won't be risked as a precaution.
This fixture will prove a special one for Rosenior with both the opposition club and manager playing key parts in the Hull boss' development throughout his career.
Bristol City was where Rosenior started his professional career, making 24 appearances for The Robins in the 02/03 season before moving to Fulham the following summer. Liam's father, Leroy, also spent time at Bristol City, making 62 appearances between 1992 and 1994, scoring fifteen times during this spell.
Additionally, it was current Bristol City boss, Nigel Pearson, who initially brought the former defender to East Yorkshire, signing the player during his tenure in charge of Hull City. Rosenior will be looking to level his record against his former boss after a 1-0 loss at Ashton Gate towards the backend of last season.
Rosenior will have a range of new faces at his disposal from the last time the two sides met with a busy transfer window bringing a new arsenal of talent to the MKM Stadium. The on-loan Scott Twine, who made his debut for The Tigers in the previous fixture will likely start again, looking for his first goal in black and amber.
If the rumours are to be believed, the Rosenior may have even more attacking talent to juggle with the Aston Villa duo Keinan Davies and Jaden Philogene both reported to be in discussions with Hull City over a potential transfer.
Whilst neither transfer has been confirmed by the club, reports have suggested that the deals could be completed before the Bristol game. Even if the players are able to sign prior to the match, they will likely not start straight away as they become accustomed to their new surroundings.
Regardless of whether the new signings get over the line before the match, Hull City will certainly bring the excitement on the pitch. With seven goals in their first three games, the attacking spark sparingly present during parts of last season has finally started to rear its head.
With a crowd of well over 20,000 expected for the fixture, Friday night should provide a brilliant atmosphere and most importantly, a chance for Hull City to make it a third successive victory and cement themselves as early contenders for a playoff spot.
