Hull manager Iain Dowie, famous for introducing the word “bouncebackability” to football’s lexicon, is in need of oodles of it after his side’s 2-0 loss at Stoke last Saturday.

With relegation rivals West Ham gaining an unexpected point at Everton on Sunday, Hull’s game against second-bottom Burnley at the KC Stadium this weekend takes on immense importance.

Hull are that one point behind the Hammers with a goal difference so inferior that the gap will not be closed by the end of the season if the two sides were to finish level on points.

Dowie’s Hull managerial record reads one home win and two away defeats. The victory came against an understrength Fulham side, with their boss Roy Hodgson coming under-fire from West Ham chairman David Sullivan for that selection policy.

 

Goals from former Cottager Jimmy Bullard’s penalty and Craig Fagan sealed victory. But the Tigers were unable to maintain their form and fell to strikes from Ricardo Fuller and Liam Lawrence at the Britannia Stadium.

The defeat left Dowie bemoaning his side’s defending in a time-honoured fashion. “It was a schoolboy goal,” he said of Fuller’s opener. “It was a poor, poor goal to give away, something we cannot afford to do.”

Dutch veteran midfielder George Boateng was taken from the Britannia in an ambulance after receiving an extremely nasty-looking kick in the face.

However, a scan on the 34-year-old this week showed that there were no broken bones and that the injury is not as serious as was first thought. Barring any lingering concussion, Boateng should be available for the Burnley encounter.

Less likely to be on the field is longer-term absentee, Republic of Ireland international left-winger Steven Hunt.

Hunt hasn’t featured for the Tigers in six weeks after picking up a nagging foot injury which has cleared only slowly.

Hunt had targeted the Burnley game for his return but he was been unable to train up to and including Thursday. He has yet to be ruled out of the game and medical staff will be monitoring his progress intently over the next 24 hours.

The Tigers’ finances have again been under the spotlight in recent days, which was a timely reminder, if one were needed, of the financial imperative of EPL survival.

The Guardian newspaper revealed last week that low-profile owner Russell Bartlett borrowed upwards of £4m to buy the club in 2007, as opposed to injecting finances as was largely believed at the time.

It also confirmed that the club’s £4.4m bank debt will require repayment by August, hence club accountants and auditors Deloitte issuing another stark warning of “material uncertainty” over the club’s ability to “continue as a going concern.”

However, the Hull Daily Mail revealed this week that plans are afoot to increase the capacity of Hull’s KC Stadium to 30,000, on the back of a hotel and business centre development yards from the ground.

The plans are at an early stage and the timing of extension work would depend on City’s future prospects.