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Hull duo to miss out Geovanni and Boaz Myhill will miss Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash against Stoke at the KC Stadium.

Geovanni is suspended after his red card at Burnley last week while goalkeeper Myhill is still troubled by a knee injury.

Record signing Jimmy Bullard is included in the squad and could make his long-awaited home debut. The #5million midfielder has missed two games with a shin problem since returning from a nine-month knee injury lay-off.

Craig Fagan could be recalled after being overlooked for five games while Ian Ashbee (knee) is the club's only other significant absentee.

Boss Phil Brown's position has come under heavy scrutiny after a week of turmoil at the KC Stadium that has seen Adam Pearson installed as chairman for a second time.

Pearson has been brought in to try to turn the club around after losing its way both financially and on the field.

While debts mounted under the previous regime, form also deserted Brown's team and they could be bottom of the Barclays Premier League come kick-off against Stoke on Sunday.

It has been claimed that only a victory can save Brown's job but when asked if he was wearying of such suggestions, the man himself remained defiant.

Brown said: "I am not tired of hearing it - I am not aware of it. It is as simple as that.

"People are saying it's a must-win game but it's not a must-win game at all.

"As far as I am concerned, putting a performance in similar to the Burnley game will be sufficient to get the home crowd going.

"If we get that performance the results will follow. It is about putting our best foot forward in the first 5-10 minutes to get the crowd behind us." Andy Wilkinson will be hoping to have done enough to keep Robert Huth out of the Stoke side.

Huth returns to the Potters squad after serving a three-match suspension, but Wilkinson has impressed at right-back in his place and manager Tony Pulis has a tough decision to make.

Mamady Sidibe has been struggling with a hamstring problem but could be in contention after taking part in training on Friday.

Salif Diao also trained with the squad but remains a doubt due to the calf injury that forced him to miss the match with Wolves last week, while Amdy Faye has a back problem and is unlikely to feature.

Stoke have picked up where they left off last season and currently lie ninth in the table after finishing an impressive 12th in their debut Premier League campaign.

It makes for a stark contrast to Hull, who were promoted from the Championship the same year as the Potters but narrowly avoided relegation last term and are now struggling in 19th position.

The Tigers have won only three times in the league in the whole of 2009 but Pulis is taking nothing for granted and refuses to look beyond the match on Sunday.

"We are hoping to go to Hull on Sunday, put a performance in and bring the three points back home on the bus," Pulis said.

"We are not even thinking about further down the line, the Hull game is difficult enough. We have to put all our energies and thoughts into that one game because we know how tough that will be." It has been a turbulent time of late for Hull and Pulis is thankful for the stability he enjoys at the Britannia Stadium, where the sponsors today announced a new four-year extension to their shirt deal with the club.

"I can't talk about Hull, but I can say what a great job everybody at this football club has done - how supportive they have been on the terraces, right through to the board of directors," Pulis said.

"At the top of the club there is the chairman and then you look at the supporters that come in week in, week out.

"They have been together - everything has been united and that is why we have taken it on from last year. It's lovely to have stability.

"I'm very pleased and honoured to be the manager of Stoke City and all I care about is this football club.

Hull 2-1 Stoke

Last modified 09:57 09/11/09

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Phil Brown’s celebration was muted. A clenched fist, a few hand-shakes, and then off down the tunnel for a quiet Guinness with his staff.

“We have to learn some humility again,” new chairman Adam Pearson had warned before the game. Brown passed the test as Hull won the game - only the fourth Hull victory in the league in 2009.

Pearson “categorically“ denied Brown would be sacked if Hull won here.

So thanks to Jan Venegoor of Hesselink’s stoppage-time goal, Brown’s reign limps on, with signs that life is returning to his side after a week of introspection and soul-searching behind the scenes.

For how long, and whether there will be a change of heart in midweek, only Pearson knows. It is a delicate situation.

Pearson peppers every interview with barbed comments about how the club has been run recently, and a glaring lack of definitive backing for Brown.

“Bring back realism and prudence,” wrote Pearson in his match programme yesterday. “In the last nine months the club has over reached itself.”

Brown’s squad is earning too much and is too big. “Good house-keeping is needed“ because “not enough time has been spent on squad control.”

Brown sent No.2 Brian Horton to face the media after the match and, asking for the first question, said: “Whose firing?“

Oh, the irony.

This was only Hull’s third win of the season, and came from a gutsy performance driven by Jimmy Bullard making his first start since signing 10 months ago for £5million.

He was probably one reason why Pearson referred to Brown’s transfer policy recently as  “too much Champagne and too little Ale“. Big wages, big fee little return so far because of injury.

But he was a bundle of energy yesterday. “Infectious in the dressing room,” said Horton. Whatever Bullard has, it can only be hoped the rest of Brown’s squad catch it.

Thomas Sorensen couldn’t hold Bullard’s shot 30 seconds into injury time and Hesselink bundled home.

Stoke fell apart in the last 10 minutes. First Abdoulaye Faye was sent off when he appeared to hack Nicky Barmby down, although replays showed there was little contact. And then Tony Pullis caused major dissent by substituting substitute Tuncay in a tactical reshuffle, just seven minutes after sending him on.

Nothing about Hull’s nervous start suggested a win was on the way.

Disorganised defending led to Stoke’s opener after 29 minutes demonstrated that sack rather than back might be Pearson’s next move.

Ryan Shawcross punted a 60 yard ball towards Hull’s defence from the edge of his box, and it sailed over the challenged of Kamil Zayatte’s challenge and into the path of Matthew Etherington. Hull’s right back Bernard Mendy had gone missing.

Etherington sprinted goal-ward taking two touched before lashing a shot past Matt Duke. It was his third of the season and second in as many games.

“Tango, Tango, what’s the score?“ came the cry from the Stoke end as the home fans. But their taunts were silenced after 62 minutes when Seyi Olofinjana levelled - their first goal for three games.

The Nigerian was signed by Brown from Stoke, and he collected a pass from Stephen Hunt on the edge of the box and side-stepped the challenge from three defenders to curl home. Skill and composure in front of goal that has been lacking in recent games from the Tigers.

Stoke could have gone ahead again when Shawcross’s header hit the bar. Tigers defender Anthony Gardner was spared the embarrassment of an own goal when Duke parried away his clearance from Etherington’s cross.

The ball trickled just wide of the post and on those margins jobs can be kept or lost.

With 90 minutes on the clock, Hesselink caused rare celebrations at the KC Stadium with his finish. The newly humble Brown didn’t join in.