Sergej Jakirovic keen to ‘enjoy it more’ as Hull keep pushing hard for promotion

Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic wants to enjoy his side’s promotion push more after their smash-and-grab 1-0 win at Portsmouth.

The Tigers only managed two shots and relied on Adrian Segicic’s double error for Matt Crooks to score the only goal at Fratton Park.

Jakirovic, whose team went up to third in the Sky Bet Championship with the result, said: “We didn’t play our game or our style because it was very demanding. I don’t know the reason but in some parts of the game we lacked energy especially in midfield.

“My main message at half-time was that we cannot play like this and we had to try something at least.

“In the second half, especially after the substitutions, we brought a lot of energy on the pitch and we scored after one mistake.

“We knew their goalkeeper likes to take risks as he is very good with the ball so we pressed the ball.

“We have shown this season that we can win without playing well. I would like us to play much better but it wasn’t on me, it was on the players.

“There are 12 games to go and we are there. We will push but I would like to enjoy it more.”

Crooks came off the bench to rifle into an open goal after Segecic had miscontroled and then left his goalkeeper short in the 73rd minute to decide the match.

It meant Hull have won five games in a row on the road for the first time since 1966 – with their last defeat away from the MKM Stadium coming on November 23.

Bosnian Jakirovic could not believe the record, saying: “I was born in 1976, so the record is very old! I am shocked. I didn’t know about the record, it is great.

“It shows that we feel comfortable in away games. We will try to continue like this.”

Portsmouth had approaching 70 per cent of possession and took 21 shots but enjoyed no “big chances”.

Pompey head coach John Mousinho said: “I’m very disappointed with the result. I think we controlled pretty much the entire game. The performance in the first half was really good. We made some poor decisions in the second half but we came away with 21 shots, Hull had two.

“We shot ourselves in the foot with what we did for the goal.

“If it was one of those games where we don’t create enough at the top end of the pitch then fine, we dust ourselves down and take a point, but the manner of the goal was unacceptable.”

Pompey ended the match five points above the relegation zone but, after a flirtation with relegation last year, Mousinho wants to be safer sooner this time around.

He said: “I’ve just said to the boys in there, it is totally up to us what we want to do for the rest of the season.

“We’ve got four games from now to the next international break, my genuine opinion is that the only team that can beat us is ourselves.

“We are adept at times at shooting ourselves in the foot.

“Last year we went 10 points clear and then we lost two in a row and were just two points clear. We have to be better than that this year.

“We are good when we are scrapping with our backs against the wall but the second we get a cushion we come off it slightly.”