There were virtually no positives from the loss to Luton Town on Friday night. Henri Lansbury's first goal of the season effectively put the game to bed before half time, making it clear that Hull City's fortunes were not turning anytime soon. The around 15,000 home fans in attendance witnessed the club's fifth straight defeat and their fourth without a goal. Individual errors have typified this poor run, with Alife Jones' own goal being the latest addition to this embarrassing list and a no-show from leading scorer Oscar Estupinan adding further salt to the wound.
One small silver lining to what was an overall abysmal affair came in the 70th minute as an underwhelming performance from Ryan Longman was brought to an end and Doğukan Sinik was introduced for the first time. The 23 year old had been recovering from a calf injury meaning Friday was his first opportunity to make an impression on the Hull crowd.
The five time Turkey international came with high praise from his previous exploits, managing three goals and seven assists in the Süper Lig last season. The £4 million fee paid for his services over the Summer was perhaps also merited by the brace Sinik scored for his national team in a 6-0 rout of Lithuania over the summer.
Sinik celebrates a goal for the Turkish National Team against Lithuainia
Sinik clearly arrives at the MKM Stadium with high expectations and in light of recent performances the pressure may be on the winger to curb this poor run of form. The Turk enters a Hull side that have only managed 11 goals this season, with only 5 of these coming from an assist, showing the clear drought of creative talent across the front line. Sinik will look to alleviate this lack of attacking production with the Turk registering the most assists amongst his Antalyaspor teammates last season, clearly showing his eye for a pass and chance creation. This makes the return of Sinik all the more vital to the struggling East Yorkshire outfit.
Considering he only managed a 25 minutes on the pitch, the excitement of Sinik could still be felt through his limited performance. His energy on the pitch and desire to run with the ball mirrored that of Keane Lewis-Potter, a missing figure in Hull's team following his £17 million move to Brentford this summer.
Doğukan Sinik in action in during his Hull City debut
When comparing the impact of the debutant to that of starters Longman and Dimitrios Pelkas it is clear that Sinik made good use of his first game in black and amber. Most striking was the Turk's willingness to carry the ball and take on the opposition. Sinik attempted three dribbles during the game, as many as the two wingers combined and did this whilst maintaining a 100% pass accuracy. Perhaps the more interesting feature of Sinik's game was his ability to press the opposition, racking up three recoveries during his spell on the field. This figure was higher than that of Longman who was playing for almost an hour longer than his teammate.
With Hull City's injury list still featuring a dozen first team players, it is clear that the window of opportunity for the sides new number eleven is wider than ever. The visit of Wigan Athletic on Wednesday night provides another challenging game for Hull with the Lancashire club yet to lose an away game this year. The main obstacle facing the Tigers is the vacant dugout with the search for Shota Arveladze's permanent replacement still ongoing. Despite this, whether Andy Dawson returns to the MKM as manager or a fresh face takes the helm, it is clear that Sinik will be at the forefront of any coaches plans for the future.
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