Hull City boss Phil Brown has dismissed their relegation worries, insisting they should aim to finish top ten this season.

He declared: "I am throwing down a challenge to the players. I would like to see a top 10 finish, because we are capable of that. But we have to hit the right type of form, that early-season form. That is the goal for the lads to shoot for. All they have to remember is your basics are the most important thing between now and the end of the season. We have eight weekends to make sure we stay in the Premier League. It is eight finals for us.

"We are going into the Portsmouth game knowing full well that, if we win three of our last eight games, we shall be OK. We want to win those games as soon as possible, as the pressure then begins to mount on those around you instead. If we win this one, it takes a lot of pressure off us and puts it all back on Portsmouth and the other teams fighting with us.

"If someone had given me this position, where seven teams are worse off than ourselves at this stage of the season, we would have accepted it. But we have to make the most of it. Keeping your composure is the most important part. The pressure gets cranked up by everybody - the media attention, the focus from your fans. And the players will feel it, no doubt about that.

"But a lot comes from the manager and the staff and I have a lot of experience behind me. In the past we have fought in relegation battles to stay in the Championship and we held our nerve to go up through the play-offs last year.

"We have that in our locker and it will stand us in good stead. There is a lot to play for and a lot of excitement ahead. I would not swap this season for any other.

"Back in September we went on a great run, after losing at home to Wigan, and a repeat of that will see us in the Premier League next season."