I was promoted to Premier League with Brighton and we can do it again at Hull, says Aaron Connolly
AARON CONNOLLY believes Hull are showing the qualities that got Brighton promoted to the Premier League.
The striker was a rookie on the Sussex coast when they went up under Chris Hughton in 2017.
And it was back then that he got to properly know Hull boss Liam Rosenior, who was playing for the Seagulls.
And Connolly — who scored his fifth goal of the season in the 3-1 win at Stoke last weekend — firmly believes the Tigers can join his old club in the top flight next season.
They go into today’s Championship clash with Plymouth among the early pace-setters with just one loss from their opening eight games.
Connolly, 23, told SunSport: “There are so many similarities to Brighton.
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“You look at the talent we’ve got in the squad, the way we work for one another and bounce back from going behind to winning games as well as scoring late on.
“People throw their bodies on the line for each other. I remember Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk used to be the best at that.
“As an academy player we’d watch all the games at home and I just remember those two always throwing their bodies on the line to block a shot.
“Here at Hull, we’ve got lads such as Jacob Greaves, Sean McLoughlin, Lewis Coyle, Alfie Jones who can do that. Even the likes of Jean Seri too — everyone will do anything to win a game.
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“Another thing that is exactly the same as Brighton is the fact we’re a close group and everyone looks forward to coming to training every day.
“There aren’t any cliques. On different days, different players will be sitting with a different team-mate having their food together.
“It’s a positive place to be — even after we lost our first two games, to Norwich in the league and Doncaster in the Carabao Cup, there was still a good vibe at the place.
“That’s so important because football isn’t all about winning or getting last-minute equalisers. We need to be positive and strong all year round.”
That was brought into sharp focus when Connolly and Seri had a row as they walked off for half-time at Stoke. The Hull striker was frustrated his team-mate gave away a sloppy free-kick at 2-0 up.
They hugged and made up in the dressing room almost immediately afterwards — but Rosenior said he was pleased they fell out for a short while because it showed their passion to win.
The Hull boss has known Connolly since he was 15.
And it was their relationship that played a major part on the striker moving to the Humberside club — first on loan in January before making the move permanent in the summer.
He said: “Liam was the main reason I came. I didn’t have lots of options but the minute Hull came in I wanted to come with the gaffer.
“I’ve known him since I was 15 and he has looked after me throughout my career.
“Even while he was working at Derby, he has always been in touch.
“Back then he was playing. I trained a little bit for the first team, and Liam was not only a big help to me but a huge voice in that changing room.
“That can only help the team now because it was a promotion- winning squad he was part of.
“He knows exactly what it takes and from being around that squad then I’ve seen what you need to do to get promoted.
“It can only be a positive thing. It couldn’t be better time to be working with Liam here. I’m loving my football and in the summer I knew everybody, knew the players and the rest of the staff.”
Another parallel Connolly draws with Brighton is how Hull are doing things off the pitch.
The striker has not only been impressed with the way Rosenior has changed the whole culture at Hull but how the club are growing under the ownership of Acun Ilicali.
Promotion is definitely the target. We're a top-six team
Aaron Connolly
He believes it is similar to what Seagulls chairman Tony Bloom and director of football have been doing.
Connolly can speak with some insight as he played for Brighton in the Premier League while Graham Potter was also changing the playing culture after taking over from Hughton.
He said: “Potter implemented the style that the gaffer is doing here.
“Liam has implemented it in seven or eight months and I can’t believe how well everyone has taken to it.
“Potter managed to do it at Brighton and his legacy is how well they’re doing now. I can’t pick a team that can go to the Amex and beat them because they’re such a force.
“I know they lost their first Europa League game against AEK Athens but you must remember that is the first game they’ve played on that stage against different teams, playing styles and managers.
“I’ve seen that club evolve over the last eight years because of all the work Tony Bloom and Paul Barber have done there. They are always going to be a successful club based on the way they work.
“Then you look at our owner and gaffer. Off the pitch they seem to be getting so much right and on the pitch we’ve got momentum.
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“We had 24,000-plus in the stadium against Leeds so full credit to everyone working day in, day out off the pitch. It makes it easier on the field.
"Promotion is definitely the target. We're a top-six team."