Opening up the Premier League campaign against Champions Leicester on Saturday with only 13 fit senior players available, Hull did the unlikely and took all three points.
I believe it’s the first time the reigning Premier League Champions have lost the curtain raiser, and it’ll be the perfect boost for the players given everything that’s happened over the summer.
Speaking to the Official Site caretaker boss Phelan couldn’t have been more proud of the character of the side and he knew it was a massive win for the club as we returned to the top flight.
‘You always have to have belief in the players that you work with and they showed a lot of character and endeavour out on that football field. Everything on the outside seemed to be pointing towards us going the other way, so it was important that the players showed the character that they did regardless of the final result. They did that really well. We asked them to show full concentration because, at the end of the day, we were lining up against the Champions of the Premier League and we knew they had the pace and skill to hurt us. We had to be a collective and we stuck to the task well. Coming back after Leicester had drawn level right at the start of the second half showed the resilience of this team.’
With no squad strengthening and plenty of injuries, Phelan went on to say that players being out of position was necessary, and he couldn’t fault their efforts in unfamiliar positions either.
‘A couple of players had to play out of position but it was a case of just getting through. Because we only had a small number of players available, they knew exactly what their roles were and how to go about it because we`ve worked with them all week. They understood the game plan, they took it to Leicester and turned it into a good occasion. The players can enjoy the weekend now and look forward to the next game.’
As for Snodgrass, who grabbed the winner on the day, he said the performance and the result showed the players were working hard and would dig deep for survival this season.
‘We were the underdogs and everybody was tipping us to lose the game – but when that happens there is something about this squad that makes us dig deep. We stick together as a unit – we don`t let what people are saying about us affect us. We wanted to show what got us to the Premier League in the first place – hard work and determination – because that is what this squad is built on. We rolled our sleeves up and we were ready for a battle. We were first to every ball on Saturday and I felt there was only one team that wanted to win the game.’
Speaking about his goal, he ended by saying.
‘You work hard on the training ground for chances like that and you have to seize the moment. Luckily the ball fell to me and I managed to put it away. Importantly, it got us the three points.’
