TIGERS boss Phil Brown has dubbed tonight's match against Ipswich Town as the biggest of their season.Hull City could leapfrog Luton and Barnsley into 19th place and pull away from the bottom three if they can beat the Blues at the KC Stadium.

By Derek Davis

TIGERS boss Phil Brown has dubbed tonight's match against Ipswich Town as the biggest of their season.

Hull City could leapfrog Luton and Barnsley into 19th place and pull away from the bottom three if they can beat the Blues at the KC Stadium.

For Brown this week will be vital for Hull, who lost to Coventry at the weekend after beating Birmingham City.

Brown said: “This for me is the biggest game of the season and I've stressed that to all of my players.

“If we can come out of the game with three points everyone is not playing will be looking at us and thinking 'Hull City are fighting for their lives'.

“There are only three fixtures tonight and the all of the teams in and around us will be looking at our game and praying that we get beaten. In that sense, it's a huge game for us and we've got to be going out there and upsetting everyone around us.”

Brown is also hoping that by beating Jim Magilton's side that they will drag Town back into the relegation scrap.

He said: “Ipswich will be buoyed by the fact that they look as though they are climbing away from relegation but we've got to make sure that we drag them back in.

“If we beat them there's a four-point difference and if people are saying that we're in a survival fight, then a team four points ahead of us certainly is as well.

“Teams will be looking over their shoulders if we win and, like I've said all along, the more the merrier.”

Hull have been boosted by the early return from injury of former England forward Nick Barmby who inspired them to a four game winning streak after Brown took over from Phil Parkinson.

With former Ipswich striker Nicky Forster, who scored for Town in the opening game of the season, looking to get one over on his old team, and the experienced Dean Windass along side the Northern Ireland youngster Stuart Elliott in attack, Brown is looking to blitz the Blues, who have not won away in seven attempts.