PR: Burnley vs Hull City

Hull City OSC continue to provide unique previews to Hull City matches. We thank them for their continued partnership. Lee J Dolman has the preview for this evening’s game.

The Past
Our first contest was in 1905 and we have met 64 times. Burnley have won 31 times, City 20 with 13 draws. We have lost 10 of our last 14 games, mainly in the Premier League.

The Clarets inflicted two painful memories on us. The first was in May 1984. City needed to win by 3 clear goals to win promotion at Turf Moor, scored twice but couldn’t find a 3rd. Many tears were shed that night. We arrived late and had to pay into the end occupied by Sheffield United fans, as they went up if we failed. How many matches have had 3 sets of fans present?

We also had the 1v4 thrashing at The Circle in 2010, which all but relegated us from the Premier League. The incredible efforts of Phil Brown and Brian Horton trashed by Dowie “the Clown”.

The Present
Burnley have already seen 13 senior players depart Turf Moor this summer (including James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, Nick Pope, Nathan Collins, Maxwell Cornet, and Dwight McNeil for £60 million) but 11 new arrivals have come in. There are still 5 other players who could leave. So it’s been a monumental turnover. Vincent Kompany is continuing to reshape his squad and build a younger base.

Meanwhile, Shota Arveladze has rebuilt Hull City’s squad and added 9 new signings. We have already seen how good Tufan, Seri and Oscar are. Others have shown glimpses in the short time they have been here.

The Future
Burnley are rebuilding post-Premier League relegation. They also have bitter rivals, Blackburn, on Saturday. So could this be a good time to play them?
City meanwhile are adding real quality and know-how, and are looking upwards.
Acun Ilicali has brought confidence, belief and smiles to the MKM.

Prediction
The first goal will be crucial. I predict a tight game. If our defence and Matt Ingram can produce another top performance anything is possible. Tufan is controlling games and our new strike force is finding its feet.

Burnley 0-1 Hull City