Stoke City boss Mark Hughes isn't surprised to see Steve Bruce's Hull City on the rise.

The Tigers meet Stoke on the back of consecutive wins.

"You shouldn't under-estimate his experience at this level," Hughes argued.

"He's been at a number of clubs and always done a good job. That understanding and knowledge of his will help him in that situation he finds himself in this season.

"You sense that experience has come to the fore and he's gone into the market in January to improve his squad, as he as in the past.

"It looks like they have turned a little bit of a corner in their form. Back-to-back wins in the Premier League (at home to Villa and QPR) is key and they have been encouraged by their performance at Man City (a 1-1 draw) before that, I would suggest.

"So they are in a better place than they were two or three weeks ago."