Iain Dowie

The Tigers lost their game in hand on Wednesday, going down 2-0 to Aston Villa at the KC Stadium, to leave them stuck in the drop zone.

Dowie’s side remain three points adrift of safety with three matches remaining, with Gabriel Agbonlahor and James Milner scoring the goals to claim the victory for Martin O’Neill’s men.

The Hull (6/5 in the match betting) boss admitted he was “disappointed” with the performance but refuses to give up hope and says they “must” take all three points against the Black Cats (21/10).

Hull’s final three matches are at home to Sunderland, away to Wigan and then a final day showdown with Liverpool at the KC Stadium.

Dowie feels the Tigers’ failure to find the net, having scored just 32 goals to date, is the biggest reason for their current predicament.

Only Wolves (28 goals) and Portsmouth (29) have scored fewer and Dowie feels they pose a bigger attacking threat in the last three games.

The temporary Football Consultant said: “We just need more goals. We haven’t put enough goals on the board all year. We had one or two great chances (against Villa) but we haven’t taken them and it’s a classic theme her.”

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who scored three goals this season, looks like missing Saturday’s game with Sunderland after suffering a nasty head injury.

The 31-year-old spent Wednesday night in hospital and Hull officials will get the results of a CT scan on Thursday.

Iain Dowie revealed the former Celtic frontman was unconscious for five minutes after colliding with Villa defender Richard Dunne.

Speaking about the Dutchman, Dowie said: “There’s real concern about how he is, but he was certainly conscious when he left the stadium.”

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Iain Dowie

Former Tottenham man Gardner has been sidelined for two months with an ankle problem and has returned to training this week.

But Dowie believes Wednesday’s big game at the KC Stadium will come too soon and is hoping Gardner may be fit enough to face Sunderland on Saturday.

Victory for the Tigers in their game in hand will see them go level on points with fourth-bottom West Ham and Dowie remains upbeat about the prospects of survival – with Hull 1/5 to be relegated.

The Hull chief stated: “If we win our game in hand, if we put decent points on the board in the next two games we’ll be right in the shake-up.

“We’ve got Wigan to play, that’s a crucial game. There’ll be some twists and turns but we’ve got to make sure we look after our business.”

Hull will also be boosted by the fact that two of their last three games will be at home, against Sunderland and Liverpool, where they have lost just three of their last 13 games.

Meanwhile, the Tigers will make late checks on midfielders Dean Marney (illness) and Bernard Mendy (hamstring), but Caleb Folan is set to miss out because of a hip problem.

Wednesday’s match is also vital to Aston Villa’s hopes of sealing European football for next season, with Martin O’Neill refusing to give up on fourth place.

Villa are currently seventh, six points behind Tottenham – who currently sit in the final Champions League place, who still have a derby with Birmingham, home clash with Euro-rivals Manchester City and away date with Blackburn still to come.

O’Neill is to set to name an unchanged side for the trip to the KC Stadium and they will look to build on an impressive defensive record.

Villa have kept six clean sheets in their last 10 away matches and have not conceded in their last four meetings with Hull, including a 1-0 victory at the KC Stadium last season.

The Midlands outfit are seeking a double over the Tigers, having won 3-0 at Villa Park in December, as they look to extend their impressive run which has seen just one defeat in 14 Premier League games.

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Iain Dowie

His side currently sit in the relegation places and are three points behind West Ham ahead of them, after Hull could only manage a 0-0 draw with Birmingham at the weekend.

The Tigers face Aston Villa (11/10 to win, 12/5 draw – match bets) on Wednesday night before a real relegation six-pointer against the Hammers at the weekend.

What made matters worse for Dowie was the fact that relegation rivals Wigan Athletic (16/1 – FA Premier League relegation) produced a staggering comeback to beat Arsenal on Sunday to put them seven points ahead of Hull, and it could get even worse if West Ham beat Liverpool in the Premier League on Monday night.

Dowie knows his side need to start winning games if they are to preserve their top flight status with four Premier League games to go.

“Whether we have the quality we will see in the next four games. I believe we have,” he told the Hull Daily Mail.

“I think it was Michael Johnson (American athlete) who said the mental side is the crucial element when you get there. It’s about us making sure we have a positive attitude. Our focus is to make sure we come with a real energy.”

Dowie faces coping for the rest of the season with midfielder Stephen Hunt after exploratory surgery on an ankle problem ruled him out of Hull’s remaining games.

He joins a growing injury list which includes Anthony Gardner and Kamil Zayatte but the manager still remains convinced there is enough quality at his disposal to avoid relegation.

Another player who Dowie cannot call upon to help for the battle is Egyptian loan signing Amr Zaki, who has struggled with a knee problem during his time at the KC Stadium and this injury has ended his stay.

A West Ham win at Anfield (Liverpool 4/11, West Ham 15/2, draw 18/5 – match bets) could put them six points ahead of Hull by the end of Monday night, but Tigers fans could take some optimism from the fact the Hammers have not won away from Upton Park since the first game of the season.

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