Hull City notebook as ex-Tigers man loses his job and relegation rivals handed big boost

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Hull City kick off a pivotal four-game spell over the next two weeks with a crucial home meeting with Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night. They will be chasing their first home win of 2025.

City were beaten 1-0 at Cardiff City a week ago to leave themselves perched precariously above the drop zone. And Luton Town's first win in two months at the weekend saw the gap closed to just two points, though victory over the Pilgrims would see that gap to five with 11 to go, with their better goal difference worth an extra point.

From that crunch home meeting with the Pilgrims, the Tigers travel to Bristol City on Saturday and then host another struggle in Oxford United next Wednesday night, before rounding off this busy spell before the international break with a visit to play-off-chasing West Brom.

Here's a look at the stories around City and the Championship as we enter another crucial week...

Maloney on his way

Former Hull City man Shaun Maloney was sacked by Wigan Athletic on Sunday and became the seventh manager in League One to lose his job this season.

The Latics are 15th in the third tier on 39 points from their 33 games and look fairly comfortable in lower mid-table, but the 42-year-old was relieved of his duties after a 2-1 defeat to Reading at the weekend.

Maloney took charge at the Brick Community Stadium in January 2023 during a tough time, and the club were relegated from the Championship and subsequently hit with an eight-point deduction but he managed to survive last term, before seeing Charlie Hughes depart for the MKM Stadium during the summer.

Former Derby County boss Paul Warne is among the favourites to take over, along with ex-Latics managers Gary Caldwell and Leam Richardson.

Watch City for peanuts

The Tigers have slashed prices for another huge home tie against Luton Town at the end of the month in a bid to pack the MKM Stadium in what will be another big clash against a side battling City for surviva.

Adult tickets for the 12:30pm kick-off on Saturday, March 29, will cost £15, while juniors between two and 10 can watch the game for just £3.50. Youngsters between 11 and 15 will cost £5, and 16-22 will cost £10, with those aged over 65 priced at £12. Tickets are on sale now and can be bought in all the usual places, including via the link here.

Meanwhile, tickets remain on sale for City's trip to Ashton Gate this Saturday afternoon. No tickets will be available at this stadium, so fans willing to pay £35 for an adult ticket must do so in advance.

Luton's relief

Matt Bloomfield notched his first win as Luton Town boss on Saturday beating Portsmouth 1-0 to move off the bottom of the league and within two points of the Tigers, and the pair set to meet at the MKM Stadium at the end of the month in an early kick-off.

Bloomfield saw Jordan Clark net after 25 minutes for a first Hatters victory since late December and breathe fresh life into their bid to survive.

“Relief is probably the biggest emotion right now, it’s been a long time coming, too long," Bloomfield said. “I wanted to come in and have an immediate impact and that hasn’t been the case and you guys know the emotion that carries but it’s a fantastic feeling to get that one over the line today.

“It was emotional, relief, it’s been a tough week. I’ve lived it this week, but the boys have been great, worked, we’ve been honest and they know how much we needed a win today.

“There were some anxious moments, it wasn’t a perfect performance by any stretch. We’ve probably played more fluently and better in other games, absolutely but to show that character and desire to get it over the line is what this club stands for and it was lovely to see that today.

“It’s a crucial win as it shows it’s still there. It’s not been there enough this season, it doesn’t dissipate the disappointment of last Sunday and it’s not all fixed in one day, but to see those smiles around the ground at the end, it’s what we do this job for.”

We have what it takes

New Derby County manager John Eustace remains defiant after their late 1-0 loss at Middlesbrough saw the Rams drop to the bottom of the Championship after a 12th game without victory having collected just two points since Boxing Day.

“They lads are low, of course they are, they’re disappointed, but they still have to take a lot of positives from the game," he said. “The lads are all disappointed but what they showed from an attitude point of view is really pleasing and there’s still a lot of football to be played.

“I’ve only been here two weeks. We have to have a bit of realism. You can see the spirit and togetherness is there. It’s just the moments where we’ve let ourselves down with the quality and concentration.

“It’s just about keeping the level of concentration for the full 95 minutes. We have two home games coming up and we have to be really positive.”

Midweek watch

While City vs Plymouth will naturally grab the focus around the Championship, there are also three other games in midweek. Tigers fans will be keeping an eye on events at the Cardiff City Stadium with the Bluebirds hosting Burnley in a game that has implications at both ends of the table.

Elsewhere, City's opponents on Saturday, Bristol City, travel to Millwall and 15th hosts 16th at Deepdale with Preston North End taking on Swansea City with both clubs just far enough out of danger to be comfortable, at this stage.

Don't miss our exclusive chat with Hull City star Liam Millar

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