Ivor Pandur is a player who relishes the busy festive period as Hull City look to ease their relegation worries under new head coach Ruben Selles.

The Tigers kicked off their festive run of fixtures with a hugely important 2-1 win against Swansea City on Saturday and are now preparing for a Lancashire double-header to end 2024.

A trip to Preston North End awaits City on Boxing Day before returning to the Red Rose county on Sunday to take on in-form Blackburn Rovers. City will ring in the New Year with a teatime clash with Middlesbrough on New Year's Day, followed by a huge Yorkshire derby with old foes Leeds United three days later.

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Given City's perilous plight at the wrong end of the table, the games coming thick and fast presents Selles' men with a chance to get valuable points on the board. To help foster a positive team spirit, the Spaniard has given his players the majority of Christmas Day off until they meet up late for the trip to Deepdale.

Though some players miss being able to spend the season enjoying the festive hi-jinx, Pandur is pleased to be playing and not be subjected to a winter break.

He said: "I think it's the best time to play football actually. I mean, maybe, except for Christmas Day, when you want to be with your family, but I would rather play every three days around Christmas time and New Year's Eve than be off because I didn't like it before when I had two weeks off in the winter and then maybe three weeks in the summer. It's better having a long summer and then nothing in the winter and Christmas time.

"Maybe it's a little bit easier for me because I'm from Croatia, so my family will be there probably, so it's for me a normal week really. We'll try to spend it here, and we are good with each other here, so it will be like a family atmosphere."