STEVE Bruce is urging his Hull City to shake off their "horrible habit" of producing slow starts as they aim to halt a losing streak on their travels at Swansea City tonight.
The Tigers make the long journey to South Wales having lost their last four away games in the Premier League and six of seven this season.
Although all those fixtures have been against sides currently residing in the top eight in the table during an unforgiving sequence, the Tigers' have not helped their cause by consistently conceding early.
Last week's 2-0 loss at Arsenal was the fifth time in the seven away games where City have leaked a goal inside the opening 15 minutes, a trend that Bruce is desperate to see bucked at the Liberty Stadium this evening.
"It's becoming a horrible habit for us away from home and it's costing us," Bruce told the Mail.
"If you concede early away from home in this league it's an awfully long way back.
"We've got to stop those early goals to give ourselves a chance. Our concentration has to be better from the word go.
"There's only once we've been able to overcome it this season, up at Newcastle, but statistics tell you that whoever scores the first goal you'll win 80 per cent of your games.
"We did that very well last year and have done it at home this season, but we need to make sure we're switched on to Swansea's threat from the first whistle."
An inactive weekend saw City fall one place to 13th in the Premier League and pulled back to within four points of the relegation zone once more.
Wins for Stoke, who City welcome to the KC this weekend, Norwich, Fulham and Crystal Palace have bunched up the bottom half of the table, but a first away win since September could bring a leap to 10th.
Although a win would also take the Tigers above Swansea, who currently stand a point better off, Bruce is wary of the threat posed by Michael Laudrup's attractive side.
"We'll have to be patient down there because they take the ball and are comfortable holding on to it," said Bruce, having seen Swansea beat in-form Newcastle 3-0 last time out.
"The vast majority of teams that go there do so knowing they'll have to be organised and patient.
"Whoever they play against they have the lion's share of the ball. They're happy to pass the ball around and bring mistakes out of you. We know we'll have to be on our guard against that. Hopefully we can also get through the first 15 minutes without conceding a goal too."
