Iain Dowie has called for his Hull City (12/5 to win – Hull v Aston Villa match bets) players to improve the mental side of their game if they are to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

His side currently sit in the relegation places and are three points behind West Ham ahead of them, after Hull could only manage a 0-0 draw with Birmingham at the weekend.

The Tigers face Aston Villa (11/10 to win, 12/5 draw – match bets) on Wednesday night before a real relegation six-pointer against the Hammers at the weekend.

What made matters worse for Dowie was the fact that relegation rivals Wigan Athletic (16/1 – FA Premier League relegation) produced a staggering comeback to beat Arsenal on Sunday to put them seven points ahead of Hull, and it could get even worse if West Ham beat Liverpool in the Premier League on Monday night.

Dowie knows his side need to start winning games if they are to preserve their top flight status with four Premier League games to go.

“Whether we have the quality we will see in the next four games. I believe we have,” he told the Hull Daily Mail.

“I think it was Michael Johnson (American athlete) who said the mental side is the crucial element when you get there. It’s about us making sure we have a positive attitude. Our focus is to make sure we come with a real energy.”

Dowie faces coping for the rest of the season with midfielder Stephen Hunt after exploratory surgery on an ankle problem ruled him out of Hull’s remaining games.

He joins a growing injury list which includes Anthony Gardner and Kamil Zayatte but the manager still remains convinced there is enough quality at his disposal to avoid relegation.

Another player who Dowie cannot call upon to help for the battle is Egyptian loan signing Amr Zaki, who has struggled with a knee problem during his time at the KC Stadium and this injury has ended his stay.

A West Ham win at Anfield (Liverpool 4/11, West Ham 15/2, draw 18/5 – match bets) could put them six points ahead of Hull by the end of Monday night, but Tigers fans could take some optimism from the fact the Hammers have not won away from Upton Park since the first game of the season.