Liam Rosenior is determined to send 25,000 Hull City fans home revelling in the pleasure of seeing their team take a huge step towards the Europa League group stages.
The Tigers need to beat Slovakian club AS Trencin at the KC Stadium on Thursday to progress to the play-offs after last week’s first leg in Zilina ended as a goalless draw.
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Thanks chiefly to a reduced price ticket scheme, supporters have reserved every one of the near 25,400 seats available to ensure Trencin face a fiercely partisan reception on Humberside.
And defender Rosenior, who joined Hull when they were struggling to avoid relegation from the Championship back in 2010, is not prepared to disappoint the home faithful.
Asked what Hull need to do to progress, he said: “Win.
“We’re a week further ahead in our pre-season and we’ve done a lot of fitness work this week.
“But it’s a whole different kettle of fish tomorrow, it’s going to be a new experience for us and a new experience for them.
“It will be a full house here and it’s fantastic from the club to lower the prices, especially in the summer holidays so kids can come and see their team play for the first time in Europe.
“We know what a big occasion it is and we’re going to make sure we get the victory that puts us through to the next round.”
The former Fulham and Reading player paid tribute to Tigers manager Steve Bruce, who in only two years has brought Hull into the Premier League, to an FA Cup final and now to the brink of Europe.
“The man sitting next to me has done a fantastic job and when I came to the club we were sitting just outside the Championship relegation zone,” added Rosenior.
“It just goes to show what can be done with know-how, experience and ambition that you can achieve these things.
“But it’s one thing doing well last season and getting to a cup final, but in my experience at Reading, when they finished eighth in their first season, they got the relegated the next year.
“I think players got complacent and took their eye off the ball and were too busy thinking about contracts and not concentrating on the job at hand.
“But with the players we’ve got here and the mentality we’ve got here, I’m sure that won’t happen this season.”
Steve Bruce keeps cards close to chest
Hull manager Steve Bruce kept his counsel over whether summer signings Robert Snodgrass and Tom Ince would make their full debuts in Thursday’s Europa League third-round qualifier against AS Trencin.
The attacking midfielders, recruited from Norwich and Blackpool respectively, ran out for the Tigers for the first time as substitutes towards the end of last week’s goalless first-leg draw in Slovakia.
Bruce has no injury concerns after winger Robbie Brady recovered from tonsillitis, but recently-recruited defenders Andrew Robertson and Harry Maguire are not eligible. Honduran centre-back Maynor Figueroa has been permitted to take an extended holiday following the World Cup.
Hull City provisional squad McGregor, Harper, Jakupovic, Rosenior, Dudgeon, Meyler, Davies, Elmohamady, Chester, McShane, Boyd, Huddlestone, Long, Sagbo, Snodgrass, Quinn, Livermore, Aluko, Brady, Jelavic.
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