Nigel Pearson on his experience at Hull and the latest on injuries

Nigel Pearson returns to Humberside this weekend as he takes his Bristol City side to the MKM Stadium to face former club Hull City.

Pearson was manager of the Tigers for one season in between the two spells he had at Leicester City.

He took over the club after their relegation from the Premier League and was dealt a blow when his side was forced into a transfer embargo.

Despite the early problems of his tenure, he guided them to a mid-table finish and gained some valuable new experiences.

‘I’ve not been back there for a while, I don’t know how I am remembered there,” he said.

“It was a time for us as a group as staff where it was a very important experience. It was quite a difficult time there, there was a transfer embargo.

“I enjoyed my time there. I worked with somebody who effectively was a director of football for the first time in Adam Pearson, he was excellent.”

Hull are now managed by former Peterborough midfielder Grant McCann, who has recently been nominated for the Manager of the Month.

They were involved in a relegation battle but after four wins and a draw, they have moved up to 19th, four points off of the Robins.

Commenting on what threat they possess on Saturday, Pearson said: They are a team now who have found a way of winning. They have four wins and a draw on what was on the back of a tough run for them.

“They’ve found some form, I would expect a team with some confidence at the moment.”

To counter that, Nigel Pearson wants his side to start finding their own winning formula on the road.

At the start of the season, City weren’t picking up wins at Ashton Gate but found some success on the road.

The opposite has now happened with his side unbeaten in their last four games at home whilst they have suffered four straight defeats on their travels.

“For us, we have to find a way of getting back-to-back wins, starting to win away from home again. We’ve got to find those qualities from somewhere now. Of late our form at home and our results have been pretty good.

“Performances have been okay but in terms of points returns it’s been a reasonably good time for us. We need to back that up with some solid away performances where we pick points up.

“It is how you make progress in a division like this. It’s a really tough league to be successful in. Everyone is aware of it, the league table is incredibly tight, so clearly a run of positive results can be very fruitful.”

Ahead of their trip, not much has changed in regards to player availability with Nathan Baker still out with a head injury. The defender was hospitalised after a nasty fall against Sheffield United.

The club are strictly following concussion procedures and more meetings will take place so he can return in a safe manner, whilst Andy King and George Tanner are nearing a return.

"It is likely that he is going to be out for a while," Pearson stated. "It is nothing further to add as we’ll be having some consultations next week."

"Andy King is training all the time with us but there has to be a bit of common sense with that one. But he'll be available for the Christmas programme."

A name which hasn't been spoken about much is defender Robbie Cundy, who was signed from Bath City in 2019, who is yet to make a senior appearance.

The 25-year-old has been on loan at Torquay United, Cambridge United and Gillingham on loan but at the end of his last move, he sustained a knee injury.

It is an injury that has hampered his progress in making the grade to the first-team and with his contract up at the end of the season.

"It’s been quite an arduous journey for him in keeping some belief and having the patience to go through it," his manager stated.

"It’s good to see him out on the grass now but I think it would be wrong to put a time scale. It would be easy for me to say a timescale, whether that is achievable or not is neither here or there. What we have to do is when he returns to competitive action that he is able to sustain it.

"When you’ve been out for as long as he has the psychological aspect and dealing with another setback is quite a big thing for a young man to deal with."