Meet the opposition | Hull City
As Swansea City ready themselves for Saturday's meeting with Hull City, we take a closer look at the Tigers.
What's their story?
Established in 1904, Hull have spent long periods of their history in the lower reaches of the EFL, but have enjoyed one of the most successful periods in their history since the turn of the century.
Some 104 years after their formation they reached the top-flight for the first time under the stewardship of Phil Brown in 2008, as they beat Bristol City in the play-off final.
They spent two years in the Premier League and have had two further stints in the elite division since, with the most recent ending in 2017.
The Tigers briefly fell into League One in 2020, but bounced straight back to the Championship at the first attempt before finishing 19th the year after. They narrowly missed out on the play-offs the season before last, but had a harder time of things last term as they narrowly avoided relegation.
The closest they have come to winning a major honour was in 2014, when they reached the FA Cup final before losing 3-2 to Arsenal after extra-time.
How's their form?
Strong. The Tigers have won six of their last eight games in the Championship, losing just one during that time.
That has firmly ensconced them in the play-off places, and they are within touching distance of the automatic promotion places.
They have suffered four home league defeats all season.
Who’s the gaffer?
Sergej Jakirovic. The Bosnian took charge of the Tigers last summer having left his position with Turkish club Kayserispor.
The 48-year-old was a centre-back of defensive midfielder in his playing days, winning five caps for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and featuring for a number of clubs across eastern Europe.
He moved into coaching in 2018 with Croatian club Sesvete - who he had previously played for - and has since taken charge of Gorica, Maribor, Zrinjski Mostar, Rijeka, Dinamo Zagreb and Kayserispor before his move to the East Riding of Yorkshire.
He led Mostar to the Bosnian title in 2022, and two years later he led Dinamo Zagreb to a Croatian league and club double.
Who’s the captain?
Lewie Coyle. The Hull-born defender took the captain’s armband for the 2022-23 season following the departure of Richie Smallwood to Bradford.
Coyle, 30, has been a regular at the back for the Tigers since his arrival at the MKM Stadium from Fleetwood Town back in 2020, since appearing in over 200 games and scoring four goals.
The former Leeds trainee's versatility has seen him play on either side of the Tigers’ defence, and earlier in his career he was linked with the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona.
Defender Charlie Hughes is his vice-captain, and has led the side when Coyle has been absent.
Who are the key men?
Striker Oli McBurnie already has 10 goals and five assists to his name for Hull since opting to move to the MKM Stadium following his departure from Las Palmas in Spain, and has been one of the Tigers stand-out performers.
The 29-year-old came through the youth ranks at Leeds and Bradford, reaching senior level with the latter, before joining Swansea in 2015.
A reliable goalscorer for the club's under-21s, McBurnie made his proper first-team breakthrough following the Swans relegation from the top-flight, and passed the 20-goal mark before making a multi-million pound move to Sheffield United.
Scotland international McBurnie spent five years with the Blades, featuring in the Premier League and helping them secure promotion in 2023 but left the club to head to Spain and La Liga in 2024.
Amid challenging circumstances, defender Charlie Hughes was among those to earn with credit for the visitors last season and he has been a key figure once again this season.
Hughes, who spent time in the Manchester City and Liverpool academies as a youngster, is in his third season at Championship level having joined from Wigan Athletic during the summer of 2023.
He first joined the Latics in 2017 and signed his first professional contract in 2021 and made his debut in January 2022.
Wigan were promoted at the end of that season, and Hughes would make 20 appearances in the second tier the following season.
He became a regular starter last season, and his leadership skills saw him captain the side at the age of just 19, and he has performed well in a struggling team since coming into the starting XI. Strong in the air and confident in possession, he has a bright future ahead of him and has been linked with Premier League clubs during the current transfer window.
Combative midfielder Regan Slater was a near ever-present for the Tigers last term, and he has once again been a regular and important presence on their teamsheet.
The 26-year-old is in his fourth full season with the Tigers, having joined from Sheffield United in January of 2022.
A Blades academy product, Slater had loan spells with Carlisle United, Scunthorpe United and the Tigers before making his move permanent.
During his loan spell he helped Hull secure promotion back to the Championship from League One, and he went on to be the club’s player of the season after an outstanding 2022-23 campaign.