After a stunning start to the campaign, Phil Brown's Tigers only avoided relegation on the final day of the season, with their failure to win any of their last 11 home matches a major factor in the tense finish. Ahead of the new season, Horton is hoping for more positive results at home.

home win

"We couldn't buy a home win in the second half of last season and that's something that needs to change," said Horton. "The KC Stadium has to be a fortress for us again.

"If we'd have had even a half-decent home record last season, we'd have finished in mid-table.

"The number of games that we lost by a single goal - Stoke, Blackburn, Spurs, Villa, Bolton - suggests we weren't a million miles away but we lost too many games late on."

Hull's first two home matches of the new season are against Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers.