Preston North End relegation rivals take decisive action ahead of crucial Championship decider
Preston North End relegation rivals Hull have taken action to ensure their players have no excuses ahead of their huge final-day-of-the-season game at Portsmouth.
Like the Lilywhites, the Tigers currently have the serious threat of demotion to League One hanging over them going into the weekend.
But to give their troops a better chance of surviving the drop, Hull took the decision to cancel their end-of-season awards ceremony at the last minute.
The glitzy event was due to take place at the MKM Stadium on Tuesday evening - an annual get-together aimed towards celebrating the climax of another campaign and to honour the players’ efforts over the course of the season.
But after Saturday’s hard-to-take 1-0 home defeat to Derby County - a result that moved Ruben Selles’ side into the bottom three of the Championship table with one game left to play - the staging of the awards was considered to be inappropriate.
That late decision was taken by under-pressure boss Selles, who was lured to the club from League One Reading in December with the primary objective of steering Hull away from relegation trouble. At the time, the Tigers sat 22nd in the table - three points and four places below North End - following nine defeats in 18 Championship games.
But 27 games and a further 12 defeats later, Hull are only one place better off and one game away from a return to the third tier for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
As well as cancelling the awards ceremony, the Hull players were given an extra day off to take stock of their defeat at the hands of the Rams and to reflect on the enormity of the situation that will greet them at Fratton Park on Saturday. Hull have also put on free coach travel for their supporters heading to Pompey.
Battle for Championship survival goes down to the wire
Like 20th-placed North End, Hull go into their final game of the season in a desperate battle for survival.
With Cardiff’s relegation already confirmed and Plymouth’s return to League One all but assured despite victory at Deepdale on Saturday, one more team is guaranteed to go down.
At the moment that will be the Tigers, who occupy the final relegation position with 48 points. But with PNE, Luton and Derby just one point better off and Stoke two points clear of the bottom three, any one of the above could realistically fall through the Championship trapdoor on the final day of the season.
The problem Hull face, though, is they remain the only team whose fate is out of their hands and at the mercy of others.
If Paul Heckingbottom’s side beat Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Saturday, they’re safe - no matter what happens elsewhere.
And it’s the same for Luton (away to West Brom), Derby and Stoke, with the latter two set to go head-to-head at Pride Park at Saturday lunch-time.
Hull can beat the already safe Pompey on the south coast and still be relegated if results elsewhere don’t go their way.
Our focus is on PNE, though, and their survival.
A tall order awaits them at play-off contenders City, who will most likely need a win to retain their place in the top six.
Liam Manning’s side are unbeaten in eight at Ashton Gate. They also have the fourth-best home record in the division.
However, with the pressure on them, they’ve lost their past two games, while injuries have been taking their toil, too. Indeed, the Robins were unable to name nine substitutes in their 5-0 hammering by Leeds on Monday night.
That will offer Heckingbottom & Co some comfort - as will Manning’s brutal assessment of his team at Elland Road.
There’s no denying, a nervous afternoon lies in wait for all involved on Saturday.
And North End fans will be desperately hoping Hull won’t be in a position to reschedule their awards ceremony for a new date.
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