Hull City v Blackpool RECAP: Updates as Seasiders bid to claim third straight win

There is a surprise inclusion in the Blackpool side in the form of Gary Madine, who is handed his first start in eight months.

The striker has previously made three substitute appearances so far this season following his recovery from a niggling groin injury.

Tyreece John-Jules is the man to make way, while Demetri Mitchell comes in for Josh Bowler as Neil Critchley makes two changes to the side that beat Barnsley 1-0 on Saturday.

It’s also a first start of the season for Mitchell, who had been sidelined for eight weeks with a knee injury sustained in pre-season.

There is still no spot in the 18 for Jordan Gabriel, who returned to training on Sunday after being forced to self-isolate after his girlfriend tested positive for Covid-19.

But Kevin Stewart returned from a foot injury to be included among Blackpool’s substitutes.

Reece James (foot), Matty Virtue (ACL), Grant Ward (achilles), Kevin Stewart (foot), Owen Dale (foot) and CJ Hamilton (foot) all remain sidelined.

Teddy Howe, Oliver Sarkic, Bez Lubala and Joe Nuttall, meanwhile, continue to be left out having not been registered in Blackpool’s squad.

Hull, meanwhile, make three changes from their 2-0 defeat to Stoke City at the weekend.

“We’ve been disappointing in terms of our home form and this is an opportunity to try and pick three points up against Blackpool,” Grant McCann said.

“Blackpool are a good team, they’re well-managed, it’s gonna be another tough game, but they’re a team that have come up with us last season, so our aim is to take the three points.

“We understand it is going to be a difficult task, we’ve got to make sure we are mentally prepared and tactically prepared.”

“Every win is hard to come by in the Championship, three points is so difficult.

“Even on Saturday, we were the better team and deserved to win but near the end of the game Barnsley could easily have sneaked an equaliser from nowhere.

“Teams stay in games, they’re so competitive.

“After we beat Middlesbrough, we spoke about the counter-attacking opportunities we had towards the end of the game to make it 3-1, where the game would have been over.

“But the way Middlesbrough were defending those moments, the character and the personality of all the teams...there’s no let-up for 90 minutes.

“We know where we are, we know we’re in a good moment now, but that can change and we have to be guarded against that.

“Anything but us going to Hull and being like we were on Saturday, fully concentrated, ready for the game and ready for a team that will be hurting and ready to come at us, won’t be enough to beat them.”

Jordan Gabriel and Kevin Stewart come back into contention having missed Saturday’s win against Barnsley.

Gabriel was forced to isolate after his girlfriend tested positive for Covid-19, but returned to training on Sunday and is fit and well.

Stewart, meanwhile, could return to the fray after recovering from a knee injury suffered after making his first start of the season in the 1-0 win against Fulham.

Elsewhere, Reece James (foot) and Owen Dale (foot) both received good news following recent scans, but won’t be available until after the forthcoming international break.

Matty Virtue (ACL), Grant Ward (achilles) and CJ Hamilton (foot) all remain sidelined.

Teddy Howe, Bez Lubala and Joe Nuttall are not part of Blackpool’s 25-man squad.

Hull, meanwhile, are sweating over the fitness of influential midfielder George Honeyman and striker Josh Magennis, who is a Northern Ireland teammate of Shayne Lavery.

In-form Blackpool head to Hull City tomorrow looking to claim their third win on the bounce.

The Seasiders beat Barnsley 1-0 on Saturday thanks to Shayne Lavery’s strike to make it three wins from their last four.

The result saw Neil Critchley’s side move up to 14th in the table and six points clear of the bottom three.

The bottom three is where tomorrow’s opponents Hull sit following a disastrous start to the season after last season’s promotion.

Grant McCann’s side have picked up just five points from their nine games, having failed to win since the opening day of the season.

The Tigers, who were beaten 2-0 by Stoke City on Saturday, have failed to even score in seven of their last eight outings.

And welcome to tonight’s live blog.

We’ll bring you all the build-up, team news and action from Blackpool’s Championship encounter against Hull City at the MKM Stadium.

Follow the blog for regular updates throughout the night.