On Easter Monday evening, Hull City will aim to do something no other Championship team has been able to do in the previous 19 attempts and that’s win a football match at the home of Leeds United.
Daniel Farke’s side have tasted success in 15 of their Elland Road outings so far this season, drawing the other four, and it’s that form in front of their expectant home crowd which sees legendary former Rangers striker Ally McCoist back them for an instant return to the Premier League.
Leeds were nudged off top spot on Good Friday by Ipswich who were 1-0 winners at Blackburn while United were held to a 2-2 draw at Watford in the late game, and City were labouring to a 2-0 home defeat to struggling Stoke City in a performance which left Liam Rosenior feeling decidedly flat.
“I love the Championship man, honest to god,” McCoist. told talkSPORT Bet. “You’ve got to be top draw to be winning the Championship – every Saturday, every Tuesday, it is one hard, hard league. I’m going to tell you the gospel truth, two-and-a-half to three months ago I thought Leicester and Ipswich were away, I thought they were plain sailing, but that was me underestimating the league again. But it’s been brilliant, they’ve [Leeds] clawed it back.
“Leeds’ performances at home have been brilliant, Ipswich went through a really sticky spell, but I think they’ve done remarkably well to rally again and have kicked on, and what a job Kieran McKenna is doing, by the way, the last couple of years he’s done an unbelievable job. And Leicester, as I said, I thought that they were away, but they’ve been pulled back into it, and, when I say that, I mean that there’s the possibility of three or four teams challenging for the automatic places.
“I’ve got to tell you, I mentioned Leeds’ home form had been tremendous, but one of the best performances that I’ve seen in a long, long time was Southampton for about 65-70 minutes up at Anfield (in the FA Cup in February). They knocked the ball about really well. Again, another good young manager (Russell Martin) that I know very well.
“I think it’s very tough to call. I think the momentum is with Leeds, and I think that they’ll go up, and that would certainly excite me. They are a club that I love watching, and I love going to Elland Road. I know Southampton have a couple of games in hand, but they’ve got to win them to give themselves any real opportunity to get into the automatic places.
“If they don’t, I think it will be between Leicester and Ipswich, and, if you poke me with a stick, I’d probably lean towards Leicester at this moment in time.”
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