Ruben Selles' impact already felt despite dream Hull City start dented by Watford's party poopers

For a few short second half moments, it looked like Ruben Selles would get his Hull City career off to the perfect start.

Once Chris Bedia turned in a rather fortuitous opening goal eight minutes from time, it felt as though Selles would instantly end City's long, long wait for both a victory and clean sheet, only to be denied by an even later Watford equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

The wait for a fourth victory of the season is now beyond 70 days, while the last clean sheet came a whopping 110, but on this evidence, it does feel like the Tigers have turned a corner and can start to consider being upwardly mobile, instead of sinking further and further into the depths of despair.

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Here, City reporter Barry Cooper looks back on Selles' opening night....

Something to build on

It may not have been the victory everybody associated with Hull City craved, and many will have left the MKM Stadium in the chilly fog feeling it was another defeat, however, it was a line in the sand and a crucial one at that.

It ended that dreadful six-game losing run, and while it was only a point, it moved City a point closer to safety and victory at Coventry City on Saturday would almost certainly move the Tigers out of the bottom three.

The manner of the performance, especially in the second half, will give the new head coach a real sense of optimism as he looks to get his feet under the table at City, and start to get things moving in the right direction. This was a big foot forward and while the manner of the concession late on is a problem, Selles will feel he's got plenty to work with.

Creating the connection

We've talked a lot about the breakdown in the relationship between the former manager and the City supporters and how it was a big problem for Tim Walter, and on this evidence, things are going to be very different.

Selles' name was chanted at the weekend against Blackburn Rovers, and throughout the game it was the same again, as the City crowd made their support apparent, and then at the end, despite the frustration of that late concession, all the players, and the Spaniard, made a point of going around and acknowledging the supporters, and were greeted warmly in return.

Acun Ilicali wanted this appointment to unite the club again after it had become worryingly fractious in the opening months of the season, and Selles is quickly rebuilding those bridges.

Lack of quality is apparent

It's hard to escape the genuine lack of quality in the final third for City, and it showed again. As they have done at points throughout the season, the Tigers created some good moments in and around the penalty box, but when it mattered, they couldn't find the final ball or finish, lacking that little bit of bravery and guile when it mattered.

So many times, they wrestled the ball back in good areas to create an opening; unfortunately, on countless occasions, the lack of quality in the pass, cross, or shot let the team down.

A prime example of that came in the second period; with City the dominant force and their press causing havoc, Ryan Longman did brilliantly to win back possession on the edge of the box before shaping to shoot and then kicking thin air and ending up flat on his face on the sodden turf.

If City are to get out of this situation, then Selles will need his players to get better in key areas, make better decisions and find the quality in front of goal. With the players they have, City will create moments, and now they have to start making more of them because their ongoing profligacy is a concern.

A change in approach

Under Tim Walter, and in the two games under Andy Dawson, City dominated the ball and that was their way of operating. Here, City were happy, especially in the first half, to play without the ball. Watford ended the game with almost 60 per cent of it, so it will be interesting to see moving forward, if that becomes a regular thing.

Another interesting change was just how physical Selles' side were. Too often this season, the Tigers have not been physical enough and paid too much respect to their opposition, but here, it was a different situation. The players were getting in the faces of the Hornets, especially in the second half, and that's an approach the fans will warm to, especially if, as they did on Wednesday, they create chances from it.

Switching things up

Selles has changed the matchday routine with the players arriving at the MKM Stadium in the late afternoon to have a pre-match meal and meeting, before preparing for the evening game.

Under the former manager, the players would have a light training session in the morning before driving to the stadium and then be bused back to the training ground where they would have their meeting and meal. The players would then arrive by coach to the stadium the usual hour-and-a-half before kick-off.

Based on Selles' way of operating, there will be no pre-match training session ahead of night games, like Walter insisted upon, to break up the boredom of waiting all day for a game later that night.