 Friday, 18th Feb 2011 12:34 Boss Paul Jewell looks set to give January signing Andy Drury his first start for the Blues when Hull City visit Portman Road on Saturday. Town are without midfielder Jimmy Bullard, who is unavailable under the terms of his loan from the Tigers, while skipper David Norris is out with knee and ankle injuries. Jewell says replacing Bullard will be the only switch from the side which hammered Doncaster 6-0 at the Keepmoat Stadium on Tuesday: “I know the team that’s going to play on Saturday. There’s going to be one change from the other night, as simple as that.” The Town manager says he was impressed with former Luton man Drury when he made his debut as a sub at Doncaster and in the reserves’ victory over Colchester in midweek when he scored once and his set piece delivery led to two more goals: “He did very well when he came on. There’s no better way to make your debut than when you’re 4-0 up. “I thought he showed excellent touches, he’s a good technician and I think he’ll be a very good signing for us. “He did very well in the reserves too, so if it’s Andy that gets his opportunity I don’t think he’ll let us down.” Drury’s deadball skills may give him the edge over the likes of Jaime Peters and Luke Hyam as Bullard’s potential replacement, the loan man having taken most of Town’s set pieces since he came to the club. Jewell admits that Bullard will be missed: “He’s been infectious for us, he’s been a good signing, not just on the pitch but around the place — he’s bubbly, he’s lively. “He’s been a great signing for us and I knew he would be. We’ll miss him but it gives somebody else an opportunity.” The Blues boss is looking for Bullard's replacement to follow the example set by Colin Healy, who came back into the side for injured skipper David Norris: “I think Colin Healy has been terrific since I’ve been here. “He’s been in the team, he’s been left out of the team, but he’s got on with his job, scored a goal the other night, I thought he was good against Barnsley and I thought he was terrific the other night. “It gives somebody else an opportunity. That’s the beauty of football - someone’s misfortune gives an opportunity for someone else.” Despite Town’s good form, Jewell is keen not to raise fans’ hopes for the remainder of the season too high: “My remit when I got here was to make sure we stay in the league, so that will remain the case. We’ve got to be careful not to get too excited and carried away. “I don’t want to dampen the supporters’ enthusiasm because the supporters’ enthusiasm is one of the great things about this club. To take nearly 800 people to Doncaster on a rainy, horrible Tuesday night shows how big a club this is. “I don’t want to dampen people’s spirit, expectation and enthusiasm, but our expectations have to be realistic and the only thing that we’re thinking about is Hull.” Jewell says Tuesday’s result at Doncaster flattered his side, even though he was delighted with the performance: “The 6-0 looks like a demolition, but anyone who was there will tell you it wasn’t a demolition. We finished our chances really well. But to win 6-0 you’ve got to play well. “We’re trying to keep people’s feet on the ground because this is a tough league and there are no easy games. “Hull City are on a good run of form at the minute and we want to put the Doncaster game behind us and look forward to the next one.” Márton Fülöp will continue in goal, Mark Kennedy will be at left-back, Carlos Edwards on the right and Damien Delaney and Gareth McAuley in the centre. In central midfield, Colin Healy will play ahead of stand-in skipper Grant Leadbitter with Andy Drury likely to take Bullard’s role. Connor Wickham will be on the left and Lee Martin on the right with Jason Scotland the lone striker. Unless the Blues add Aston Villa's Habib Beye or another loanee to their squad before Saturday, Luke Hyam will probably come on to the bench with Conor Hourihane perhaps also in contention for a place amongst the subs after some impressive reserves displays. Shane O’Connor was expected to be back training at the end of the week after a suspected bout of appendicitis, while keeper Brian Murphy is around a month away from a return to action after his broken ankle. David Norris is expected to be out for around 10 to 14 days from when he picked up his ankle and knee injuries at Barnsley, so could be OK for next weekend. Alan Quinn is the only long-term absentee with the groin injury which has kept him out all season and which required further surgery three weeks ago. The Tigers, unbeaten in seven in the league and up to 10th, three places and four points ahead of the Blues having played a game more, have added Leicester central defender Jack Hobbs to their squad on loan this week and the former Lincoln and Liverpool man could make his debut. Irish international centre-half Paul McShane has joined Barnsley on loan, while midfielder James Harper is back after a foot problem. Harper has friends amongst the Town support and when playing for Reading went to have a chat with them at the front of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand at the final whistle. Arsenal loanee keeper Vito Mannone is still out with a groin injury and former Colchester winger Richard Garcia is not yet ready to return after knee surgery. Hull boss Nigel Pearson’s comments regarding his side are similar to Paul Jewell’s about Town: "We've got a lot of work still to do, there's no doubt about that. Every time we play there will be people talking about how it will be a crucial game but that really is how it is. "We've started to make in-roads but it doesn't take much to set you back. If you look at the league two months ago there are a number of sides who were in the play-offs but have slipped away. "That's how things can change quickly so we just have to concentrate on ourselves. We've got to make sure we give ourselves the chance to be involved and the league table will take care of itself." Pearson says City, who are unbeaten away from home in 10 games since a 4-0 loss at Burnley in late September, have built their recent climb on a solid defence: "We're a team that's hard to beat. We've got more matchwinners than we had before but no matter who you are, you've got to work hard. "When we've come unstuck on the road, the common denominator has been that we didn't work hard enough and we weren't competitive enough. Whatever our run is though, it doesn't matter. It's about the next game. This is going to be tough because they're a team that will pose a stern test." The Tigers boss is expecting a hard-fought encounter: "It will be two sides playing with a lot of confidence so it will be an interesting game. "Shakey [assistant boss Craig Shakespeare] went to their game on Tuesday and I've seen the game again. "As one game in isolation results like that happen sometimes, but even then, their form has been pretty good. We will have to be at our best to beat them. "Paul Jewell has had an impact and that's always what you want. He's been successful in his managerial career and I've got a lot of respect for him, but it will be about what we do on Saturday." Town defender Damien Delaney played for Hull from 2002 until 2008, making 235 starts and four sub appearances, scoring five goals. David Norris was on loan with the Tigers from Bolton in 2002, starting three games, making three appearances from the bench and netting once. Liam Rosenior, who was on loan with the Blues from Reading last season, joined the Tigers earlier in the season but no other current Hull player has represented the Blues. City manager Nigel Pearson was close to becoming the Town boss in 2006 but lost out to Jim Magilton having made it on to a short-list of two. Historically, the Tigers just have the edge on the Blues having won nine of the games between the teams, while Town have been victorious eight times and a further eight matches have been draws. The teams have never met in a cup competition. In November, Robert Koren’s deflected 25-yard second half strike was enough to give Hull a 1-0 win at the KC Stadium. The Tigers had hit the woodwork twice within a minute in the first half of what was a drab game with neither side creating much in front of goal during the entire 90 minutes. The last time the teams faced one another at Portman Road was on the final day of the 2007/08 season when Alan Lee scored within seconds of coming off the bench to give the Blues a deserved 1-0 victory. However, the win wasn't enough for Jim Magilton’s Town, leaving them in eighth in the Championship and failing to reach the play-offs by one point. The result saw Hull miss out on automatic promotion but go into the play-offs and then into the Premier League for the last two seasons. Saturday’s referee is Craig Pawson from South Yorkshire, who has shown 50 yellow and three red cards in 20 games so far this season. Pawson’s only previous Town game was the 0-0 draw at Swansea last season in which he booked only Swans midfielder Darren Pratley. Probable squad: Fülöp, Lee-Barrett, Edwards, Kennedy, Delaney, McAuley, Smith, O’Dea, Leadbitter, Healy, Drury, Hyam, Peters, Martin, Wickham, Civelli, Scotland, Priskin. Photo: ITFC
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