Tigers boss Phil Brown's drawn-out pursuit of the ex-Watford forward finally reached a successful conclusion on Thursday when he landed his man – albeit on a season-long loan deal and not on a permanent contract.

Having only joined the Latics on a three-and-a-half-year deal from the Hornets back in January, King admits to being "disappointed" at being given the cold shoulder by the Lancastrians.

But for him it's not about getting mad, but even.

To a man the Tigers' players – written off as relegation fodder from day one and tipped to make an immediate return to the Championship – possess a collective desire to make the critics eat their words, not to mention a fair few personal agendas.

The likes of King and Anthony Gardner, who was well down the pecking order at Spurs, are eager to show their top-flight worth, while others, such as Peter Halmosi and Michael Turner, are keen to parade their talents on the big stage after proving stand-out Championship success stories last term.

For others, such as skipper Ian Ashbee, Andy Dawson and Bo Myhill, it's all about enjoying every moment in the top-flight having played the majority of their careers in the lower divisions and showing they fully deserve to be there.

On heading to East Yorkshire, King told Yorkshire Sport: "It's dragged on for a few weeks but I'm just looking forward to putting on a Hull shirt and getting on with my career and helping Hull attain their Premiership status this season.

"Phil Brown showed an interest and told me what he was wanting to do at Hull. When you've got a manager who wants you, that's who you want to play for.

"He's been patient and the chairman has been good as well. I'm just glad it's all worked out – I'm hungry to do well. The gaffer has shown faith in me and I want to repay him.

"I've got that fire in my belly. It was disappointing when you want to get your head down and honour your contract to then be told that your opportunities are limited.

"But there's positives, I've got a chance (at Hull) and it gives me an opportunity to prove a point – to myself more than anything."

Brown has assembled a collection of players with the hunger to succeed for various reasons and it's fair to say that not many dressing rooms will be as focused and together as this season's Hull vintage. And King feels they can use that massively to their advantage.

King's elite campaign with Watford back in 2006-07 ultimately ended in disappointment, individually and collectively, with the Hornets going down and the striker missing over half the season through a serious knee injury.

But despite that low point the last emotion King – who started out his football odyssey at non-league Dulwich Hamlet and has also played for the likes of Barnet and Gillingham – feels is trepidation.