Silva wants Hull fans back after winning start

(Reuters) - Marco Silva began his Hull City managerial career with an FA Cup victory on Saturday but the Portuguese was left hoping that their missing fans would be back to support his bid to ensure the Tigers avoid Premier League relegation. In a debut match for the League's newest managers, who both have their work cut out to save their teams from the drop, Silva came out on top over Swansea City's Paul Clement with the 2-0 win, courtesy of late goals from Abel Hernandez and Josh Tymon. Yet even if achieving this third round win was an ideal start for Silva, the sight of a sparsely populated Hull City Stadium with many fans having boycotted the game in continuing protest against the club's owners certainly was not. An official attendance of only 6,608 was recorded with only a couple of hundred fans from Wales also having made the trip to watch the tie between the league's two bottom clubs, leaving Silva sounding disconcerted. "It's important for me that our fans believe in the team because we need help," said Silva, whose appointment in place of the sacked Mike Phelan has not impressed supporters. "To change our position and our situation we need this. I hope in the next game against Bournemouth there will be more people here to support us." Silva got his first key decisions right, with Hernandez, returning from injury, and 17-year-old youngster Tymon both coming off the bench to score. Clement, though, was again made aware of the mountain his side have to climb on what felt like an eerie day for him. "I was expecting a bigger crowd and more atmosphere. I found it very strange. Maybe it was stranger for Hull. It was very quiet," he said, suggesting that the muted occasion seemed to affect his side. (Reporting by Ian Chadband)