On Friday night, Hull City won for only the second time under new coach Liam Rosenior, finally turning their unbeaten start on the resumption to a winning one. The Tigers have not lost at home since the early-October defeat at Huddersfield Town.

Rosenior called some of their football in the 1-0 win at Birmingham City "outstanding".

And to top it off, centre-forward Oscar Estupinan followed up his first goal in nine appearances to equalise against Blackpool with a winner at St Andrew's.

Unlike Monday's opponents Wigan Athletic, yet to win under new manager Kolo Toure and beaten 4-1 in both their Christmas fixtures, things are moving in the right direction.

Hull City head coach Liam Rosenior (Picture: Tony Marshall/Getty Images)

But the path of Championship life rarely runs smoothly, so Rosenior was quick to tell his players it would be "criminal" if they did not replicate Friday's display when they play at the DW Stadium.

"They've just got to believe in themselves a little bit more and hopefully, Friday's win will give them that belief," said Rosenior, who took over in November.

"It would be criminal not to have the same performance level at Wigan.

"You can't guarantee results - in any game you play you need luck, you need fortune to go your way but what I've challenged the players is to be consistent, and to be fair, in my time we've had seven games and six goals conceded."

Rosenior's focus on the defensive side of a team threatened by relegation has hardly reinvented the wheel, but it is just what they needed.

At times under Shota Arveladze it looked like too many of the more gifted members of the squad seemed to think defending was beneath them, but according to his successor: "Their engagement in the way we want to play has been top level and I'm really looking forward to the next game."

Meanwhile, Andy Dawson has been voted into the club's hall of fame.

Dawson did a sterling job bridging the gap between Arveladze and Rosenior as caretaker manager, but his elevation owes much more to his playing career.

The left-back made 317 appearances over ten years in black and amber, winning back-to-back promotions to take the club from League Two to the Championship in his first two seasons after joining from Scunthorpe United. In 2007-08 he went one better, winning promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the club's history.

Dawson returned to the club as an academy coach in 2019, and has since been promoted to the first-team set-up.

Last six games: Wigan Athletic LLLDWL; Hull City WDDDLW

Referee: G Eltringham (County Durham)

Last meeting: Wigan Athletic 0 Hull City 5, February 17, 2021, League One.

Wigan v Hull City: Liam Rosenior calls for repeat of Birmingham win