Brown revelling in Cairney's rise

Brown revelling in Cairney's rise

Published Feb. 5, 2010 7:40 a.m. ET

Cairney, 19, made his debut in last weekend's 2-2 draw with relegation rivals Wolves and impressed sufficiently to keep his place when title-chasing Chelsea came to town on Tuesday. The Nottingham-born youngster produced another excellent performance in the 1-1 draw with Carlo Ancelotti's side and can have high hopes of starting again on Saturday when Manchester City come to the KC Stadium despite growing competition for places. Though the club currently sit third from bottom in the Premier League, Brown believes the emergence of Cairney and steady progress of fellow youngsters Liam Cooper and Mark Cullen is evidence of a positive future for the cash-strapped club. The Tigers boss said: "Tom Cairney, in the light of Jimmy Bullard's long-term injury and one or two falling by the wayside in terms of form and then Seyi Olofinjana going to the African Nations Cup, has grabbed his chance. "When Seyi got back the first question he asked was 'I believe Tom has played well?' Because there is a genuine belief and togetherness. While he's been away at the African Nations Cup, he has been keeping very close tabs on how the team is doing and he's delighted for Tom. "It doesn't look like Tom needs his feet keeping on the ground, he looks like he's taking it all in his stride. "I liked the way he finished the game against Chelsea. Normally you would tire in a game three days after your debut and that was the dilemma about whether to keep him in, certainly against the diamond formation Chelsea were playing that was full of world-class players. And Tom's putting his foot on the ball in the 85th minute and still getting us playing football. "It's nice to have that old Dutchman (George Boateng) alongside him who can talk him through games. "It's a long-term plan. With Tom, Liam Cooper and Mark Cullen, the future of the club is looking a lot more healthy than it ever has done when you've got two or three knocking at the door. They are all local boys as well." Such an emergence has led to questions about Cairney's long-term future, with Brown saying: "We'll take our time, his contract is up next year. "He's got a long-term future in the game and, hopefully, it will be at Hull City."

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