By Alex Thurston
Hull City could all but secure Championship survival this weekend if they can make it three wins in a week when they visit relegation rivals Birmingham.
Hull are on a high after back to back wins against Norwich and Ipswich, scoring seven goals. They face a Birmingham side who have lost all of their last eight matches, despite the appointment of Garry Monk as boss at the beginning of the month.
Star striker Abel Hernandez will be available for selection this weekend, after he was left out of the squad which travelled down to Ipswich. In his weekly press conference, Hull boss Nigel Adkins stated: “He’s fit and I didn’t want to jeopardise that with three games in a week.”
Atkins says that despite Hull’s good run, he may still make changes for the clash at St Andrews, insisting: “Both Ondrej [Mazuch] and Abel are available for selection this weekend.”
Meanwhile, Birmingham’s main problem this season has been their inability to score goals. However ex-Premier League striker James Beattie has recently been appointed as the new striking coach.
He told BluesTV: “For me, giving 100% as a player was a given.
“I’ve got to know all of the lads over the last couple of weeks, they really want it.”
Gary Monk has also recalled veteran Birmingham defender Paul Robinson into the match day squad, who he hopes will help boost the morale and get the Blues out of another relegation scrap.
The Blues’ boss spoke to the Birmingham Mail, saying: “Of course fitness he is not at the level just yet to be considered for selection but he is very good around, his experience is invaluable.”
James Hoggarth from BBC Radio Humberside, praised the way the manager has worked with Hull’s new signings: “The way Nigel Adkins has got performances out of Henriksen and Hector is commendable.
“This week has been massive for Hull City. I suspect few fans would have expected to have seen the team gain six points, and in the manner it happened.”