Grant McCann will return to Hull City for just the second time on Sunday since being sacked following Acun Ilicali's takeover almost three years ago.

McCann, who guided City to the League One title in the 2020/21 campaign, will be looking to claim a second successive win when the pair meet in the FA Cup third round at high-noon on Sunday, having knocked the Tigers out of the Carabao Cup last season.

The Ulsterman also claimed bragging rights with a 4-0 pre-season friendly win back in July, when his Rovers side thumped Tim Walter's outfit in South Yorkshire.

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City's former boss will hope to make it three straight victories against his old club, who have endured a nightmare season and sit third bottom of the Championship, while Rovers are seventh in League Two, and firmly in the promotion race.

Speaking ahead of his latest return to his old stomping ground, McCann reflected on what was a rollercoaster period at the MKM Stadium, which saw the club relegated during the Covid pandemic, seal an instant return, a league title and go through a takeover.

"I look back on my time at Hull with fond memories and maybe a little bit of what could have been," McCann told reporters. "Particularly in that first season, when we were just outside the top six on goal difference when we beat Sheffield Wednesday on New Year’s Day away.

"Obviously, Aseem and Ehab (Allam) were going to be selling the club, so we knew there were going to be sales and we didn’t recover - the team, staff and everyone around the building - from Jarrod Bowen and Kamil Grosicki leaving in that window and we didn’t replace them. We did, but not with players ready for the Championship at that time.

"It was a nightmare four or five months when we were poor. But what we didn’t do was sulk and we got ourselves back together and put a squad together that we felt was strong enough to get promoted from League One and we did that by winning the division. In the following season, we felt we left the football club in a good place, eight, nine, 10 points away from the relegation zone and we’d just beaten Bournemouth away and Blackburn at home. Obviously, the owners came in and we wished them well when we left. And I wish them well for everything else as well."

McCann also explained the thinking around Brandon Fleming's season-long loan stint at the Eco-Power Stadium being cut short, with the defender set to be loaned out to another League Two club, Hull Live understands.

"Brandon is a good player," McCann continued. "When he came in just after the start of the season, we had an injury to James Maxwell which we thought would be longer than planned but he got back quickly. Brandon knew right away when he came in that it was because of an injury. Brandon was clear from day one. He's gone back now and we've got two good full-backs in James and Jack Senior fighting for that position.

"Yes (a mutual decision). It was more of us looking at it and wanting to refine the group really. It's disappointing every week leaving players out. Although the boys train well and I don't have any issues or anyone knocking at my door. People outside the club may think 'well, how do you keep them all happy?' but we have such a good group of players.

"It was a case of me and Brandon looking at it and saying Maxwell and Senior are both fit and in good form. Brandon's out of contract (at City) in the summer and will want to play games to keep himself in the shop window and we couldn't really offer him that.

"So it was more of a mutual decision, really, that he went back. We wish him well because I love Brandon. Of all the games he's played, probably 70 of them have been under me, and I don't think he's probably played 100 games, so he knows how much I like him as a player. I've no doubt he'll have a really good career but at this moment we have to focus on what we have, in James and Jack."

Another former City man coming back hoping to knock the Tigers out will be Billy Sharp, who didn't manage to get off the mark during his spell in the second half of last season.

"I know Billy has spoken about not scoring there and I think its the only club he hasn't scored for in his career. That will be a bugbear," McCann continued. "But he’s had an unbelievable career and is just focused on us and making sure he plays well for the football club.”