Brown hails Boateng influence

Brown: Praise for Boateng

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Hull manager Phil Brown singled out central midfielder George Boateng for special praise after the Tigers held on to defeat Everton 3-2 at the KC Stadium.

The Tigers surged into a 3-0 lead before the half-hour mark but let Everton back into the match in the second half after Kamil Zayatte scored an own goal and conceded a penalty.

Brown stressed the importance of keeping a cool head and performing the basics well when in such a situation, saying Boateng was instrumental in preventing the Hull midfield from collapsing under the pressure.

"I never really looked at my watch that much, or the clock in the stadium," Brown told Sky Sports when asked about the match's nervy finish.

"It was just a case of keeping the basics that got us into the 3-0 lead, keeping them going and I can't sing George Boateng's praises enough for his role in that.

Vintage

"He's sat in the midfield, dictated the pace of the game in the first half, dictated where he wanted his midfield colleagues to be.

"It was vintage Boateng, without a shadow of a doubt and although I don't particularly like handing out praise to individuals, George deserves a special mention.

"We've had our ups and downs in the last couple of weeks - me and George - and I think the win is definitely down to himself."

The hosts were dominant in the first half as Everton crumbled under a sequence of Hull attacks.

Brown, who many thought was on the brink of losing his job three weeks ago, said that the display would have pleased any manager.

Confidence

He added: "It was full of confidence, it was full of belief and full of the things that managers like from individuals.

"Consequently, when the first goal goes from the hard-working Stephen Hunt, with quality of course, he deserved his goal."

Of Everton's comeback, he added: "You never want a 3-0 to be a 3-2 classic but, again, it sends the fans home happy."

The former Derby manager has now temporarily quashed the rumours surrounding his future with a run of seven points from a possible nine.

But Brown handed the credit for Hull's upturn in fortunes over to the players, who he believes have produced the goods at a critical time.

"(I'm) delighted. Delighted at the response of the players, delighted at the response of the crowd and the chairman," he said.

"I've got nothing but praise for the players when they go out there."