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After a horrendous slump in form cost them their Championship status last season, Hull City have risen to the summit of League One - a 3-0 win over promotion rivals Ipswich last night making it six victories in a row for the Tigers.
Grant McCann’s current side looks transformed from the one that was relegated last season and look on course to bounce back to the Championship at the first attempt.
Playmaker's Tad Chenery takes a look at what has changed in Humberside and the key factors behind their good form so far this season.
Roaring in attack!
So far this season, only Portsmouth have scored more goals in League One than Hull (24). Of the 24 goals, 15 of them have come away from home, which is a league high. They have been fairly evenly spread as well.
Malik Wilks is the club’s top scorer on six, with Josh Magennis and Keane Lewis-Potter both just behind on five. Putting the ball in the goal had been something that the Tigers had struggled to do consistently last season, with Jarrod Bowen, who left the club in January, finishing as top goal scorer.
He was 10 goals clear of Kamil Grosicki in second, who also left the club at the same time. There seems to be more of an impetus to get forward this season, with the League One table toppers averaging five shots on target per game, which is the second highest in the league.
These shots are not just speculative either, with Hull also creating the most ‘big chances’ in the division (26).
⚽️Most AWAY goals in England's top 4 tiers this season:
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) November 24, 2020
18🚌: 🐯HULL🐯
15🚌: Blackburn
14🚌: Preston, Portsmouth, Cambridge
13🚌: Tottenham, Leicester, Oldham#hcafc #theTigers pic.twitter.com/HBu0j5P3nm
Sweet stats from Honeyman
The standout performer in this Hull side, or even the whole of League One, so far this season has been George Honeyman. He currently leads the league in both assists (6) and successful tackles per game (3.6) and is fourth for key passes per game (2.4). Playing on the left of a midfield three, the 26-year-old has also helped himself to two goals.
His energy, dynamism and endeavour helps the side break quickly and his extra quality on the ball has proved to be the difference so far this season.
The experience and positional awareness of Richie Smallwood, who plays as the deepest of the midfielders, has allowed Honeyman to impose himself, and he is taking full advantage of this.
It would not be a surprise to see the former Sunderland man on the January wish lists for one or two clubs further up the footballing pyramid.
🤣 #NewProfilePic for George Honeyman on Instagram...
— Hull City (@HullCity) November 25, 2020
📲 georgehoneyman10#hcafc | #theTigers pic.twitter.com/RaOdDNLFit
Tigerish at the back
Third-placed Lincoln are the only team to have conceded fewer goals (9) in League One than Hull this season. Despite this, the Tigers still top the charts for most clean sheets (8). Keeper Matt Ingram hasn’t been troubled massively either; he only averages two saves per game, which is the fifth lowest in the league, a stat that suggests the defenders in front of him are doing a great job.
Following an injury to first choice centre-back Jordy De Wijs in late October, young Jacob Greaves has stepped in and made the position his own. Alongside Reece Burke, the 20 year-old, who spent last season on loan at Cheltenham Town, has formed a strong partnership.
Since Greaves came into the side, the Tigers have won every game and only conceded one goal. The defender has an aggressive style of defending, which suits Grant McCann’s defensive set-up. So far this season, McCann's men average 11.3 tackles per game, which is joint second in the league.
The high frequency of tackles also underlines Hull’s newfound front foot mentality, where they look to get the ball back as soon as they lose it and press further up the pitch.
The underlying data certainly suggests that Hull are at the top of the table on merit and, if they continue to perform as they have been, they look set to be in the mix for automatic promotion come May.
2️⃣ x 🐯#hcafc | #theTigers https://t.co/HzLRxDI7l3
— Hull City (@HullCity) November 25, 2020
