Philip Buckingham: We're at the business end of the season and all the talk is of automatic promotion. City's fate is still in their own hands but at what stage of the 2007-08 season did you start believing it could be your year?
Ian Ashbee: I'm not sure if it was one particular fixture but West Brom away (on February 23) was a big one for us, that one sticks in my mind. They were flying high and to go to the Hawthorns and win was a big result. Saying that, we were always under the radar until the very end. At Christmas we were still a way off but things just fell into place at the right time. People hit form and it all clicked.
Bryan Hughes: For me it was around the Christmas period when it changed. It was massive for us that year. After getting beaten by Preston and Southampton at the start of December we went on a great run that really set us up and gave us a boost up the league. That's when the lads started thinking 'Why can't it be us?'
Dean Windass: Yeah. I don't know if you remember but Browny came in the dressing room after the Southampton game and he said 'If you think you can get in the play-offs then you've got another think coming.' Can you remember that? He was furious. We soon picked up a few good results after that so maybe that was a kick up the backside we needed.
BH: The other fixture that jumps out was when we went to Barnsley and won 3-1 in April. By then there was a huge amount of belief building. I thought we'd win automatic promotion after that.
PB: Can you recall how the mood was in your camp around this time of the year? Is there anxiety or excitement?
IA: Not many people had been in that position before so I don't suppose it was worry or fear. Around this time it was uncharted territory for us and that might be the same for a lot of this group. We had nothing to be afraid of. I thought 'Hold on, we're here, let's have a good go at it' and it was only right at the end of the season we started to feel it. The only pressure we felt came from ourselves.
DW: We were talking about this the other day, I felt the spirit we had was frightening. The banter was flying everywhere around the training ground. On the pitch, too, I had so much belief in the players behind me. It felt so strong and that gave me a huge amount of confidence. I felt I was going to score every week but I also knew the lads behind me were as solid as a rock.
BH: As Deano says, the training ground was somewhere you looked forward to being. There's not many people can say that about the workplace and I've been at other clubs where the mood was nothing like what we had. It was like a family. Everyone contributed in their own way. It all felt very relaxed because of that.
DW: He's right. There were days where I didn't want to go home after training, that's how good the spirit was. We'd be round at each other's houses on nights, too, having pizza or playing cards. It was a really tight group.
PB: What role does the manager play at this stage of the season? What did Phil Brown do for you as a team?
BH: He just had to keep us focused didn't he? We all knew what was at stake and he was the man at the top overseeing it all. We were an experienced bunch. The spine of the side, with Wayne Brown, Ash and Deano, was very strong.
DW: I think it was easy for Phil over the last few months. If you asked him, I reckon he'd probably say that. Other than the odd change, with me or Caleb Folan in the side, we didn't really change much tactically. We had a good routine and there was a lot of experienced players in the squad taking care of it.
IA: You could say he tried to take the pressure off but more often than not he was the one putting it on us! Seriously, though, he was the front man and looked to take all the focus away from the players. He was the one that stood up in front of the press all the time and left us to get on with our jobs. Steve Bruce will know what it takes. He's been involved in bigger games than his team will face and I know for a fact he's the right man for this situation.
PB: What about nerves? When do they start to play their part, if ever?
DW: I was the experienced one who had been around the block and I didn't feel anything like that.
IA: I'm not sure I ever felt it either. Maybe the odd occasion, but you can use it to your advantage and make yourself stronger. The only nerves I ever felt was proving it to myself. I didn't worry about the big games, that's what you're in football for. I wasn't in football to sit in a squad for 10 years of my life, I was desperate to be involved when it really mattered.
BH: I felt confident because I'd been through it before with Birmingham. Of course you're aware of what's at stake and this is where it really matters now. All the players will know that. Once you're past Easter there's not much margin for error.
PB: How much influence do the experienced players have when the big moments come along?
IA: Throughout my career I would always try to stand up and be counted. It's one thing saying the right things but you had to follow it through on a Saturday. There were times when you'd look to put your arm around one or two people but in truth it all seemed to just fall into place. There was a great team spirit that managed itself.
DW: We had a lot of experience in our side, more than there is in Steve Bruce's side. There was me, Ash, Boaz Myhill, Andy Dawson, who had all played in the previous promotions, Barmbs and Yosser (Hughes), who'd played in the Premier League. There was only Michael Turner, Sam Ricketts and maybe Rich Garcia who weren't that experienced. Experience is a massive thing and that could be the one weakness of the current squad.
BH: If someone wasn't pulling their weight, there were players who would soon dig them out. I've seen that in this squad too. There's a strong unit, I'm thinking McShane, Corry Evans, David Meyler, Robbie Brady, Quinny and Chester, who grab everyone together.
PB: If you had any advice to give to the current side, what's key to holding your nerve when the pressures really build?
DW: I would say it's being able to react to the bad results. You're going to get beaten, just like they did against Nottingham Forest, so it's about making sure you don't let it affect you. You can't spend your life worrying about it. I always thought if we got to the play-offs or down to the last game, I'd just deal with it then.
BH: A lot of people in football will tell you they're just looking at the next game and only looking at yourself, but you can't help it. You're always looking at the table, the gaps, the goal difference and what it might mean for you. It's important at the end of the day. For us it went down to the final day at Ipswich.
IA: The key thing for me is sticking together. Never panic. They're up there and deserve to be there, so now it's just about keeping together and grinding out results. It's a testing time but you can't come this far and not give it everything.
PB: Given how tight it is at the summit of the Championship this season, how valuable will momentum be in the final few weeks of the season?
BH: It's massive. I can remember being at Birmingham when Steve Bruce first came in there and we went from 15th into the play-offs because we went 12 or 13 unbeaten towards the end of the season. We carried that through and went up through the play-offs. That's what's got me looking at Nottingham Forest this year. If they're in the play-offs, I'm not sure there'll be many teams wanting to play them.
DW: Yeah, it's all about confidence. You go into every game thinking you're going to win once your confidence goes up and up. We had a very good run, winning a lot of games in March. Saying that, it works both ways. If you get one or two bad results you soon see people getting nervous. Everyone has a wobble, it's how you deal with it.
IA: It was stop-start for us for a lot of the season but around this time we were flying. It's imperative at this stage that you pick up points from every game. Of course you want three but, if you've not played well, settle for one. That's what breeds the confidence.
PB: The final, and perhaps most important, question, can they do it? Can they become the second Hull City side to win promotion to the Premier League?
IA: I hope it's not the kiss of death or anything like that but I'm convinced they will. They've just got to put their foot on the gas and I think they'll go up automatically. It's perfectly poised for them now and everything I've seen from them this season tells me they'll do it.
BH: Agreed. I don't think they'll follow us, I think they'll go up automatic. Their away form has been very good and every time they suffer a bad result, they have a knack of bouncing back.
DW: I've got to say yes haven't I? But I think it'll be through the play-offs. Saying that, if they could win the next two against Huddersfield and Watford then they've got a great chance. It's too close to call for automatic promotion at the minute. It'll be down to which team can string a good winning run together between now and the end of the season. Fingers crossed it's City.
