The Tigers' captain is enjoying life and recently got engaged to long-term partner Aaliyah during the international break

Hull City skipper Lewie Coyle clocked up his 400th career appearance against Fulham earlier this month, and while it may not have gone as he would have hoped, it was still a pivotal occasion.

Coyle may have played the bulk of those games in the Championship and League One, but at the age of 31, he's now getting his rewards by plying his trade with his hometown club in the Premier League.

The Tigers skipper showed why he's so valuable to Jakirovic on Sunday, delivering another reliable display in the 1-1 draw against Brentford, as City remained unbeaten in the Premier League on home turf, ahead of Saturday's huge clash with Ipswich Town.

Continually written off by some, Coyle has been a regular under every manager at the MKM Stadium since he first arrived from Fleetwood Town in the summer of 2020, as the club looked to piece itself back together following a humiliating relegation to League One.

His role that season under Grant McCann was significant, as it has been ever since, and now, he's determined to take stock and actually make the most of the chance he's earned to play in English football's top flight.

Make sure you never miss the latest Hull City news and opinion by making Hull Live one of your Google preferred sources.

"I've loved every single minute of it," the skipper tells Hull Live as he reflects on the opening few weeks of a fascinating season so far. "I've worked my entire life, my entire career to get to this stage, and I think you can sometimes be guilty as a sportsman of getting caught up in it too much and not actually enjoying it.

"I'm one of them that feels that this is the pinnacle for me, and I'm enjoying every single second of playing in the Premier League. We've had a fantastic start as a group of players. It's not just a group of players that think, 'Oh, we're in the Premier League, it's just one of them things, let's see what happens'. No, no, we're having a go, and we're doing everything we can to give it our best shot, and I'm enjoying it.

"I'm enjoying the challenge. You play against some fantastic players week in, week out, fantastic teams, and, and like you say, that's what I did since I was four or five years of age to just have a chance to play in the Premier League, so why would I not sit here as a 31-year-old man and enjoy every single second.

"You always want to play as many games as you can as a young boy, when you set out on this journey, this path, and you certainly want to one day get that one Premier League sort of cap debut, however you want to say it, appearance. My 400th game came in the Premier League, I've played nearly every minute in the Premier League this year, bar coming off a few times, but yeah, I'm enjoying it. I'm in a good spot and certainly enjoying life in the Premier League."