Phil Brown says he will have to be cautious with 35-year-old Nicky Barmby for Hull's remaining eight games, as they look to avoid the drop.

Barmby, who is out of contract at the end of the season, was left out of the side which lost at Wigan on Sunday, just days after scoring against Arsenal in the FA Cup.

Brown defended the decision to rest Barmby and said: "It's a case of looking at the remaining games and picking and choosing which games to play him in.

"He's finding the Premier League brutal at the moment but his inclusion in four or five of the remaining eight games will be key - it's just making sure we pick the right ones."