Hull manager gives his thought following weekend clash.
Hull City manager Leonid Slutsky says his side did not hit the heights of recent victories, but got the job done against Paul Heckingbottom’s Reds side at Oakwell on Saturday afternoon.
Slutsky watched on as his two substitutes Jackson Irvine and Fraizer Campbell combined for the latter to deliver the winner, Hull’s first away win in 24 attempts.
The Russian boss expressed his relief and described the win as ‘finding the right key to unlock a door’ at Oakwell.
“To be honest, we didn’t play a very good match. I’m relieved and glad though, to get the win. Going so long without winning away from home was like a demon, and that has gone now, especially good in my first Yorkshire derby.
“It was like going through lots of keys to unlock the right door, and we finally found the key we needed. Luck was on our side today and I’m very happy.”
Slutsky credits the stability that the victory will give them, and has praised his team’s solidity at the back to keep the Reds at bay.
“It was only our second clean sheet of the season, so that’s an improvement.
“Barnsley played really well and very aggressively, and we were trying to play very direct which is not really our [style of] football.
“This is very much a stability result. We changed very well how we played in the second half, which was much better than the first half.”
The Tigers manager notes that it is the sign of a good team to take home three points when the intensity is not always there.
“You cannot play an intense, unbelievable match every week.
“A good team in the Championship is one that can be satisfied with its result after a performance which may not be so good.
“Hopefully, this game can change our mood before away matches, and we can look at them in a way that is not so ‘tricky’, that we can go and get a good result.”
Slutsky gives his last word to match-winner Campbell, analysing the former Manchester United striker as one of the strongest members of his squad.
“Campbell is the first forward now, after losing Abel Hernandez. He is a very strong individual, very aggressive and has a good team spirit.
“It was difficult to be able to give him 90 minutes in this game as he has just missed a few weeks. I would say half an hour was about his limit against Barnsley.
“It is very important to keep him fit, and I think he can definitely last a full season as our main striker. His goal today and the result does us well for the future.”
