Keith Andrews makes Hull City claim as Tigers look for Premier League response

Ex-Hull City man Keith Andrews believes Hull City have shown that they're entirely capable of competing at Premier League level, and admits to expecting a stern test at the MKM Stadium on Sunday.

City may have produced a tepid display at Fulham last week, but somehow managed to stay in the game before losing 1-0, just their second defeat in the opening seven games.

Prior to that, Sergej Jakirovic's men had impressed with nine points from their first six games, including wins over Manchester United and Coventry City, plus creditable draws with Aston Villa, at Chelsea and Everton.

Boss Jakirovic will be desperate to see a response from his side ahead of two pivotal home games in the week, before the trip to Arsenal looms in two weeks.

The first of those sees Brentford arrive at the MKM Stadium, themselves reeling from a defeat last weekend. Andrews' men were beaten 2-1 at home by Liverpool, their first loss of the season. Their cause wasn't helped, however, by the sendings off of key men Yehor Yarmoliuk and Vitaly Janelt in either half, despite Keane Lewis-Potter's goal.

"I think they've been brilliant. It's very evident that they have a spirit, a really honest spirit about the group, and they have a togetherness and honesty about the group," the former Hull City midfielder said ahead of the trip to East Yorkshire.

"They've got some very, very experienced players that have been in the league before, and they've got players that are there for the first time that want to enjoy the journey.

"The way they play the game and the way they're organised is very impressive. I expect a proper test, a way of playing that can be very testing.

"They have a belief that they can absolutely compete at this level. They've shown that they can, week in, week out. They've produced some really, really good performances, and they've been in every single game they've played in and we're at the end of October. That says everything about where they are"

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Andrews, a former Republic of Ireland international and coach of his country, is no stranger to John Egan and has praised the experienced City defender, suggesting he was the type of player you'd want in the trenches.

Egan has been a colossus so far this season at the heart of their defensive unit, and remains one of the first names on Sergej Jakirovic's team sheet.

"He's (Egan) someone that I really like as a man," Andrews said. "I coached him at international level and I also coached him at Sheffield United, so I know John pretty well. I'm so happy for him that he's made that move to Hull, got the promotion back, playing at the highest level and still playing a really important role for our country. He's a player you would go into the trenches with. He's been a magnificent player. He's a man that I really admire and like."

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