Hull City

Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic stressed how important the three points were to his team after their 2-1 win at Wrexham.

The Tigers returned to winning ways following back-to-back defeats against Ipswich and Millwall to boost their play-off hopes.

Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside: "We played a very good game. It's a very important three points and a very big victory against Wrexham, who are a very good team.

"They have already shown all season they are playing good football, especially at home. They are very dangerous.

"Credit to the lads because I think they played a very good game."

Hull City will have forward Mohamed Belloumi in their squad for Tuesday's Championship match at promotion rivals Wrexham.

The 23-year-old has not played since sustaining a hamstring injury in the Tigers Boxing Day draw at Sheffield Wednesday but assistant boss Dean Holden is relieved to have him back available.

"He's a top player and we've not had him fit enough for long enough this season," Holden told BBC Radio Humberside.

"He's been out since Boxing Day and not had a great deal of training so we'll need to be careful in terms of minutes [we give him] but he's worked really hard in his rehabilitation and has been wanting to get involved."

Fifth-placed Hull suffered a second successive league defeat when beaten 3-1 at home by Millwall on Saturday and are now only three points above Wrexham who are sixth.

"We're getting to the stage of the season where there probably have to be some risks taken but equally we need to mitigate the risk int terms of minutes [for Belloumi], but it's a huge bonus to have him back around it," added Holden.

"He's looked good in training and certainly if we need him he'll be there."

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Image source, Opta

It's a big game in the Championship play-off race as Wrexham return to league action after their FA Cup exploits to host Hull City on Tuesday night (19:45 GMT).

Hours before the Red Dragons took Chelsea to extra-time before exiting the FA Cup in the fifth round on Saturday, the Tigers were a touch unfortunate to go down 3-1 at home to Millwall in another top-six battle.

It means City are fifth, three points ahead of Wrexham, who now have a game in hand, with seventh-placed Derby leading the play-off chasing pack a further three points adrift.

A home win would see Wrexham into the top-five for the first time this season and a win for either team could apply pressure to fourth-placed Ipswich, who visit Stoke the same evening.

• Wrexham are unbeaten in their past 10 home league games against Hull (W7 D3), with this the first time they're hosting the Tigers since a 2-2 draw in League One in October 2004.

• Following their 2-0 win in December, Hull are looking to complete the league double over Wrexham for the first time since 1948-49.

• Wrexham have won nine of their past 13 league games (D2 L2), though both defeats in that run came in home games.

• Hull City have lost just one of their past nine away league games (W7 D1), though it did come at Ipswich Town last time out on the road.

• Wrexham's Josh Windass has scored three goals in his seven league appearances against Hull. His sides have won all three games in which he scored, but lost all four in which he didn't.

Image source, Shutterstock Editorial

Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic labelled his side's display against Millwall as their 'best home performance' of his reign despite the 3-1 loss.

The Tigers dominated the game for significant spells but were unable to make it count, with both Kyle Joseph and Charlie Hughes hitting the bar with first-half headers.

Joe Gelhardt cancelled out Jake Cooper's opener for Millwall, but second-half goals from Mihailo Ivanovic and Josh Coburn sentenced the Tigers to defeat.

"This was the best home performance since I've been here because we played a very good game, we created a lot of chances and missed a lot of chances," Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside.

"It's always a frustrating defeat when you know you play good but sometimes I'm not happy with our performance and we take one or three points.

"If you didn't watch the game, you'd think Millwall kill you [us] but we were very good and I hope we will continue like this because there are a lot of games in front of us and you never know.

"We made two mistakes (in the second half). We dropped too much, didn't attack the ball but this is football, there is always something happening that you didn't expect and we have to take the lessons from this."

Hull City are confident midfielder Regan Slater will agree a long-term deal with the club, according to head coach Sergej Jakirovic.

The Tigers this week exercised an option to extend the 26-year-old's current contract for a further 12 months and Jakirovic says talks are ongoing about him staying at the Championship club longer.

"We had a conversation and I expressed my thoughts and we agreed and he is happy to stay here," the former Bosnian centre-back told BBC Radio Humberside.

"If the player wants to stay here it is 90% done but it's about finance and I hope we will be able to agree everything."

Meanwhile, Hull have been dealt a further injury blow with the news defender Akin Famewo will be out for a month with a calf muscle injury.

"He went for an MRI scan with a tight calf so he's out for four or five weeks," said Jakiorvic.

Midfielder Amir Hadziahmetovic is doubtful for Saturday's match at home to fourth-placed Millwall after sustaining an ankle injury in Tuesday's defeat by Ipswich, while defender Matt Crooks starts a two-game suspension after collecting a tenth yellow card of the season.

Hull are currently fifth in the Championship, six points short of the automatic promotion places.

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Image source, Opta

Fourth and fifth in the Championship face-off on Saturday (12:30 GMT) as Millwall head to the MKM Stadium to play Hull City.

The Lions are fourth, four points behind second-placed Middlesbrough and a point behind Ipswich, in third, after four wins in their past five games, most recently 2-0 at Preston last Saturday.

The Tigers edged to a 1-0 win at Portsmouth last Saturday but went down 1-0 at Ipswich in their rearranged game on Tuesday night, their third defeat in five matches, to remain fifth, two points behind Millwall but with a seven-point cushion to the play-off chasing pack.

• Hull are looking for their first league double over Millwall since the 2012-13 campaign under Steve Bruce.

• Millwall are winless in seven league matches against Hull (D3 L4) since a 2-1 win in April 2022 when Gary Rowett was Lions boss.

• Hull have conceded eight goals in their past three home league games, shipping 2+ goals in each game. They last did so in four in a row in August/September 2022.

• Millwall have won their past three away league games – the Lions last had a longer away winning run between January and March 2018 (6 in a row).

• Femi Azeez has been involved in six goals in his past nine Championship appearances for Millwall (2 goals, 4 assists), with three assists across his past five games.

Image source, Shutterstock

Earlier we asked what you make of the news that, from next season, the Championship play-offs will be expanded to include the teams finishing seventh and eighth?

It was announced on Thursday morning that EFL clubs voted in favour of expanding the play-offs from four to six teams.

Here's a selection of your comments...

Josh, Derby: I don't believe this is necessary. I do think that the play-off format should be aligned throughout the top five leagues, but expanding isn't needed. Better distribution of the monies involved and establishing a clear matchday structure to balance various men's and women's leagues would be a better use of everyone's time. This strikes me undue American influence.

Callum, Dartford: I think it's a good thing so teams can push for promotion that thought they wouldn't get near the play-offs.

Cato, Sheffield: If we adopted it to this season, it means that eighth-placed Derby (on 51 points) have about as much a chance of going up as third-placed Millwall (on 63 points). Plus, to accommodate the extra games, would they extend the season into June? I don't like the idea of it at all, and I hope it's short-lived.

Steve, London: Another example of football being ruined, week by week. Don't you dare think about implementing VAR too.

Mark, Stafford: As a Stoke fan, I think it's good news. The season has come to a grinding halt due to being decimated by injuries. Add to that, the quality of what is coming down from the Premier League, it would mean upsets can happen and still allow teams in that mid-table race to dream of greater heights!

Richard, Stansted: Absolutely ridiculous. What is the point of a league format if you are going to make it a bigger lottery to include even more teams at the end of the season? It also brings teams that are even less ready to actually be in the Premier League into scope. But mostly it's the undermining of the league format which makes no sense. I'm a Derby fan - and we look like we would have a chance of benefiting from this if it were in place this season.

Andy, Nuneaton: Anything that expands the opportunities for those outside of the parachute teams is a good thing. We need to get away from this elite view of the Premier League. If it was up to them, they'd stop automatic promotion and relegation and have a system like Rugby Union, where it's based on meeting certain criteria. The eighth-placed club in the Championship getting to the PL? Bring it on!

Ron, Hayling: Money, Money, Money. Players complain about the amount of games they play with the league games and cup competitions so the intention is to play even more at the end of the season. Owners will make some money but that's all that matters!

Barry, Dartford: Yes it's a fantastic for everyone, all the small teams as well as the big boys, to have something to play for. It will give the end of the season something to look forward to.

Benjamin, Poole: I'm a Charlton fan, so it's unlikely we'll come 8th in the Championship any time soon, however, this is ridiculous. More pandering to Americans to make it more likely they'll make money, which is the only thing they care about. Sporting integrity out of the window again. Shame as I felt the Championship was the last bastion of quality and integrity combined. Game has gone.

Broughton, Derby: Absolute ridiculous, put it back to the old days of three straight up, no play-offs. If you don't make top-three you don't deserve to go up.

Julian, London: The worst decision from a footballing point of view ever! The National League teams have been trying to change their system to be like the current EFL system so it seems a very strange decision for the EFL to take. You can finish 8th after 46 games and still get promoted - sporting integrity has been totally lost with this decision. Money over integrity every time!

Image source, Getty Images

Hull City have exercised their option to extend Regan Slater's contract by a further year meaning the midfielder is under agreement until 2027.

The 26-year-old joined the side on loan from Sheffield United in 2020 before making the switch permanent in January 2022.

Slater has been a mainstay on boss Sergej Jakirovic's teamsheet, making an appearance in all 35 of the side's Championship games this season.

Of those 35 fixtures, he has played all 90 minutes in 21 games, scoring twice and making two assists.

Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic said his side's approach was the right one in the narrow 1-0 defeat at Ipswich.

The Tigers frustrated the hosts for large periods but were undone by a superb strike from Azor Matusiwa.

Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside: "Ipswich were the better side but they did not have many chances. They started to play with three number 10s and we got too deep.

"The goal I cannot understand. We must take the ball. We had five players there and they had one.

"We tried to push and create something but we could not score the goal. They have very good players who are technically fantastic, so we had a low block and it worked apart from needing better decisions.

"Our idea was good. They have a bigger budget and this is the only way we can compete with them."

Image source, Getty Images

Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic insists the Tigers are "not afraid" of promotion rivals Ipswich Town heading into Tuesday's key Championship trip to Portman Road.

The Tigers are fifth in the table, seven points inside the play-off places, and among a cluster of clubs - including fourth-placed Ipswich - hoping to chase down Middlesbrough in the second automatic promotion spot.

"I'm not afraid of Ipswich," Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside. "It will be a very good game because already we have shown this season we can play good football against them. I just hope it's a good game."

Hull City only stayed up in the second tier on the final day of the 2024-25 season courtesy of goal difference.

Under Jakirovic, who was appointed last July, they are now a serious contender for a return to the Premier League, with pivotal games against promotion rivals Ipswich, Millwall and Wrexham across the next eight days.

"We must keep going forward," Jakirovic added. "We now have 60 points, and it's not by accident.

"Sometimes you lose the game, sometimes you win, but we are in a good position. We will push more.

"Everything is on us. We must give everything so that at the end of the season we don't regret anything. So, give everything without any stress of any pressure, just enjoying the ride."

The Tigers are boosted by the timely return of influential midfielder Matt Crooks after seven matches out with injury.

The 32-year-old came off the bench on Saturday to score the decisive goal in their 1-0 win at Portsmouth, eight months after his effort at the same ground helped to keep the Tigers in the Championship.

"He's a very important player to us," Jakirovic added. "We missed him a lot because he gives us a lot of energy, a lot of challenges, second balls, and he's very important in set-pieces as well."

Image source, Getty Images

Hull City assistant head coach Marco Salatovic has been charged with misconduct by the FA following their Championship match with Derby County on 24 February.

The FA said the 41-year-old Croatian is alleged to have "acted in an improper manner in or around the 74th minute" of the game leading to his dismissal by referee Adam Herczeg.

Salatovic has until Wednesday, 4 March to respond to the charge.

He was charged and fined £1,500, external last month after admitting the same charge of misconduct in two incidents during Hull's match against Southampton on Saturday, 17 January.

Ipswich Town could enter the automatic promotion places if they are to win against Hull City on Tuesday evening (19:45 GMT).

The Tractor Boys are three points short of current second place holders Middlesbrough, but a superior goal difference will mean Boro will lose out should Ipswich win and Middlesbrough lose to Birmingham City on Monday night (20:00 GMT).

But the Tigers have their own motivation for victory. Three points would also move them level on points with the Teesside club as it stands and while it's unlikely they can make up the goals to reach second on this occasion, they will be piling on the pressure to do so next time around.

• After their 2-0 win in November, Ipswich could complete their first ever league double over Hull City – this is the 21st league campaign in which the two sides have faced.

• Hull City have lost three of their last four league meetings with Ipswich (D1), as many as their previous 25 beforehand (W14 D8 L3).

• Ipswich have only lost one of their last 21 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) games in the Championship (W14 D6), a 0-3 defeat to Charlton in October 2025.

• After losing six successive away league games played in midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) from November 2024 to November 2025, Hull won their last such fixture 3-0 at Preston in January.

• Chuba Akpom has scored in all three of his league appearances against Hull City (3 goals), including as a substitute for Ipswich in the reverse fixture in November.

Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic spoke to BBC Radio Humberside following their 1-0 win at Portsmouth.

"We didn't play good, our performance was average. We missed a lot in possession, you can play but you don't have control – (we made) unforced errors, giving the ball away," he said.

"At half- time we agreed we can play with much more confidence - be more vertical and we increased energy with the substitutions – (we were) not 100% in the first half.

"I was angry – it wasn't our face, our performance. I don't care any more about impressions but I would like that we play much better.

"I felt that we had one chance because we were mostly in our half. We took three points which is most important."

Image source, Coventry City FC

You might not hear the old terrace refrain of 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' as often as you used to, but it still has a better ring than 'the shirt's not fit for you to wear'.

Championship leaders Coventry City launched a new collection on Friday, proudly taking inspiration from a kit widely dubbed the 'Worst of All Time'.

A take on the club's infamous brown change strip worn away from Highfield Road from 1978 to 1981, the modern reinvention features what the club calls "a deeper chocolate plum colour with sky blue elements".

Many would suggest it sounds tastier than it looks.

But it's got us thinking... what are actually the worst EFL kits of all time? Let us know which of your club's shirts is hiding in the back of the wardrobe, or even if they were too ugly for you to even part money for them.

We'll collate a list of the biggest eyesores and will give you the chance to vote on the ghastliest of all next week.

Click here to let us know your suggestion, and you can even attach a picture if you really want to convey the horror.