Hull City’s 2-1 win over Stoke before the international break was a rare bit of good news for the cash-strapped Humbersiders.       Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink’s late strike took the Tigers out of the bottom three and proved a timely boost for under-pressure manager Phil Brown, who has since received public backing from changing-room and boardroom.       However, the fall-out continues from former chairman Paul Duffen’s recent resignation over club finances and claims that owner Russell Bartlett is looking to sell up.

Hull came from behind to beat the Potters, aided by Stoke defender Abdoulaye Faye’s dismissal for two yellow card offences.

Former Potter Seyi Olafinjana equalised Matthew Etherington’s first-half opener before Faye was sent-off.

And Vennegoor of Hesselink was in the right place at the right time when keeper Thomas Sorensen failed to keep hold of Jimmy Bullard’s thunderous right-foot strike.

Club record signing Bullard, recently returned from long-term injury, has been among the most vociferous backers of boss Brown.

The all-action midfielder insisted that Brown had the full backing of the club’s playing staff.

Bullard said: “We thoroughly believe in the manager. We want him to stay and I believe he will, hopefully for a long time. He is a great man and a great manager.”

Bullard’s wishes look likely to come true, as newly-installed chairman Adam Pearson added his words of support.

Speaking after the Stoke victory, Pearson praised Brown for his “team selection, substitutions and matchday preparation.

“Under such a spotlight that wasn’t easy. I thought he handled himself very well.”

The spotlight remains on the Tigers’ finances, however.

Former chairman Paul Duffen has insisted that he left the club’s finances in good order, despite media reports of massive debts, wage bills and pay-outs to agents.

He told the Daily Express: “There has been an awful lot of misinformation and misinterpretation of what happened on my watch at Hull.

“The actual debt at Hull is £9m, not the reported £23m, an acceptable figure on a club turnover in excess of £50m. And the wage bill is £30m. That is in the bottom quarter of the Premier League’s wage table.”

But his successor Pearson is reportedly looking to make cuts in playing and non-playing staff.

And he warned that January’s transfer window would be a quiet one, saying: “We haven’t got the chequebook way of getting out of trouble. It’s just not open to this club.”

Further reports suggest that owner Bartlett wants to sell his 100% shareholding in the club, and could make up to £40m profit in the process.

The Essex property-developer’s other businesses have impacted on his ability to fund the Tigers. And the News of the World reported that Bartlett has been looking for a way out since Hull’s last-day escape from relegation in May.

The 17^th-placed Tigers host 18^th-placed West Ham on Saturday, in a match already billed as a “relegation showdown.”

Goalkeeper Boaz Myhill is expected to be in contention for a starting berth, after missing two games with a knee injury.