John Cartwright on pressure, Hull FC critics, and blocking out the noise.

Hull FC’s Davy LItten is congratulated on his try against York

John Cartwright isn’t feeling any pressure or panic regarding his Hull FC job and is determined to set the record straight with a much-needed victory against Leeds Rhinos this Sunday afternoon.

The Black and Whites – hoping to go through the gears after an improved season last term – go up against the Rhinos on the back of four successive defeats, but Cartwright, an experienced coach after a 25-year-plus career, isn’t yet feeling the pinch.

Staying grounded, the Hull boss is taking no notice of the heat outside of the club’s four walls, with dissatisfaction growing after a concerning start to the season, and insists that any talk of pressure is an external thing.

“Not as far as I’m concerned,” he replied to Hull Live when asked about said pressure. “I’ve been doing this a long time and I certainly don’t listen to what goes on outside of our walls.

“My happy place is when I’m with the players and knowing that’s where your answers come from. They don’t come from anywhere else. You have many sleepless nights, but when you get to training, I’m with players who are hurting as much as all of us. That’s where I get my confidence from.

“I don’t listen to social media – if you do that, you drive yourself mad. We stay away from social media. I couldn’t tell you what’s being said, but whatever is being said, I’m sure it’s not positive. That’s not a help for anyone.

“The only way to stop the noise is to win some games. Every game is hard at the moment. For us, it’s trying to stay as positive as we can, block the outside noise, and improve our performance. That’s all we can control.”

Back at home, Hull – in the midst of another injury crisis with nine players out – will be looking to prove to themselves that they have the minerals to turn their season around.

“It’s not about proving anything to anyone – it’s more us proving to ourselves,” Cartwright continued. “That’s the most important thing.

“We know if we win games, people are going to be happy, and if we lose, they’re not going to be happy. That’s just life in general. For us, it’s about putting in a performance where we can say we’re starting to find our way. That’s the most important thing.

“I’ve seen it all in my time in the game, and if you start to think you’re something your not, the game can come back and bite you really quickly. To a degree, it’s happened to us. There was a lot of expectation around us, outward expectation, going into the season, and we’ve come up with a couple of losses, but things can turn around really quickly. We have to keep working hard for one another.”

Looking to stay in the contest, Cartwright believes his side can turn the tide if they stay in the battle against a side also looking to respond after a Challenge Cup defeat.

“We won some really close games last year and when you’re in a close game, it can go either way,” he said. “That’s the beauty of our game – that’s why we love it so much.

“You’ve just got to hang in games and trust that results will turn your way. We’ve got a very experienced squad who understand that. But the challenge is to keep competing hard and keep staying in games. We know the bounce will eventually go our way.

“We’ve got to stay mentally strong. We don’t think we’re that far away. The challenge is to maintain our confidence and our belief that we will come out of the other side.”

And on Leeds, who are three from four in the Super League, Cartwright added: “It’s a real challenge and one we’re not looking to run away from.

“They’ve got all bases covered. They’ve got great finishers on their wings, they’ve got great speed in their centres, they’ve got halves who run, and they’ve got a big powerful forward pack. They’ve got all the ingredients of a really strong team.

“It’s a real challenge just to go out there and be neutral with them. They defend well and they’ve got strike all over the park. It’s a big challenge for anyone.

“For us, it’s a game where we have to keep moving. You stop for a second and they’re gone, so it’s a game where 13 players have got to constantly keep moving and apply some pressure where they can.

“We need to try and get a fair share of possession in the right part of the field. Get that, and things can then change pretty quickly in this game.”