Duke targets more clean sheets to help Hull climb Championship
Published:Matt Duke is aiming to continue to keep up his impressive clean sheet record at the KC Stadium this season to help thrust Hull into the Championship promotion picture.
Duke is still to see his goal breached in five home Championship games this season in what is his first campaign as the club’s number one between the sticks.
However, despite their defensive soundness at one end of the pitch, they are missing some attacking thrust at the other, scoring just seven goals in their ten league fixtures.
This has left Hull eight points shy of the automatic promotion places and 14 points behind current leaders QPR.
Hull were one of the pre-season favourites to bounce back to the Premier League after last season’s relegation, but their rather ordinary start has seen their price drift to 66/1 to win the Championship.
Duke is hopeful that Hull’s attackers will soon find their feet and he is focussed on doing his job of continuing to rack up the clean sheets.
He told the official Hull website: “It’s six clean sheets in a row at the KC Stadium if you count our last game of the last Premier League season against Liverpool.
“It’s important that we keep solid at the back. It goes without saying that the more clean sheets you can keep, the greater chance you have of getting the desired result.”
Duke’s run has also been supported by the defence in front of him, which has mainly been made up of Andy Dawson, Daniel Ayala, Paul McShane and Anthony Gerrard.
Hull travel to Leicester next, who will be buoyed by the recent appointment of Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager and the victory over Scunthorpe in their last game, which lifted them off the foot of the Championship table.
Coventry, Derby and Sheffield United are among the other clubs priced at 66/1 to win the Championship this season. See the whole Championship winners betting odds market.
