Chelsea travel to the MKM Stadium in the FA Cup fourth round, kicking off at 7.45pm tonight as we look to continue the progress in this competition started with a 5-1 win at another Championship side Charlton Athletic, in Rosenior’s first match as our head coach.

It will be a return to familiar ground for the man in the Blues dugout, although it is on the home bench at Hull where he is used to sitting, having managed the Tigers between 2022 and 2024.

It was an opportunity he remains grateful for, even if he knows he has continued to develop as a coach in the time since he departed the club.

‘I've had great experiences since, going to Strasbourg, going to France,’ reflected Rosenior. ‘I think if you stand still as a player or as a coach, then there's something wrong from the experience you take.

‘So I’m definitely a better coach than I was two years ago and hopefully I'll be a better coach in the next two years to come.

‘I’ve had loads of different experiences, learning different ways, but if it wasn't for Hull, and [Hull owner] Acun [Ilicali] in particular, giving me that opportunity, which I'm really thankful for, I wouldn't be in the situation I’m in now.’

Rosenior also spent five years as a player at Hull, but his links to the club and the city go back even further, as well as beyond his professional career, with strong personal ties to the area. As he explained, his return will be an emotional occasion for him and his family.

‘I remember when I went to Hull on trial, I was without a contract, and the way I told my nanny Kath was I took her to the local Harvester, sat her down, and said I'm going to sign for Hull City. That was amazing. She was a season ticket holder already.

‘Sadly she passed away. She's buried in Cottingham Cemetery, which is less than a mile from the training ground. When I took the manager’s job at Hull, it was pretty much a year to the day that we had her funeral.

‘I used to go to Hull when I was a little boy in the summer holidays when she lived there. I grew up there for my summer holidays, went to Boothferry Park in the summer to watch them play. It’s strange that I’m from London but I have a connection with Hull.

‘So that club means a lot to me. It’s amazing for me, amazing for my family. There’s a lot of family going up for reunions – I swear she had a hand in the draw – they’re going to spend a good night together as a family, but I want to make sure it’s a happy memory.’

It is Chelsea who are the focus of our head coach’s attention now, though. Although he will never forget the fond memories that Hull has given him, it is the moments still to come in his future at the Blues which are foremost in his mind going into this game.

‘It was amazing. I went from being on trial at Hull to being a captain in Europe there and playing in an FA Cup final, but those are the memories that you want and those are the memories I want to create at this club now,' he finished.