By Paul Brown

Martin O'Neill knows how Hull are feeling - because he endured a similarly erratic time in his debut campaign at Villa.

O'Neill's Villa went nine games unbeaten before a tough stretch in the middle of the season.

He said: "Hull are really battling to stay in the Premier League.

"They had such a fantastic start and at that point - with the amount of points they had accumulated - you felt that they could guarantee their safety if they went on a normal run of form.

"However, when you hit a bad patch in this top-flight, it's hard to get back on track again. I think that's where they have found it difficult. Winning two consecutive games has proven very tough over the last four or five months.

"But I remember my first season here. We started off really well and I think we were the last unbeaten side. But, after that, it was really tough and we fell by the wayside. For a period we were unable to win a game.

"It gnaws away at you and you wonder where the next point is coming from. Then amazingly, we won a game of football and we finished with a flourish.

"This is all new to Hull - they had a great effort to reach the Premier League - but they are in a serious predicament because over the past few months they have been unable to get the points on the board.

"Deep down, they will feel another four points will do it for them. They will also feel they are capable of picking those points up."