Keith Andrews Faces John Egan: A Reunion at Hull
Keith Andrews will walk into the away dugout at Hull on Sunday and find a familiar figure staring back at him from the heart of the opposition defence.
John Egan. Former pupil. Former Brentford stalwart. Now the man anchoring Hull’s back line in the Premier League.
Andrews has seen Egan’s journey up close. The Brentford boss worked with the defender during his time on the Republic of Ireland coaching staff and again at Sheffield United, long before he took the reins at Gtech Stadium in 2025. Their paths have crossed in international camps, promotion pushes and dressing rooms where standards are set by the loudest voices and the bravest tackles.
So this reunion carries a little more weight than the usual pre-match handshake.
“He’s someone that I really like as a man,” Andrews said in his press conference, the respect obvious. “I coached him at international level and I also coached him at Sheffield United, so I know John pretty well.”
Egan arrives at this fixture in a rich chapter of his own story. He helped Hull to promotion last season, dragging them back into the top flight and straight into meetings with old friends and old employers. On Sunday, he faces both at once: the coach who helped shape him and the club where he first made a real imprint on English football.
For Brentford supporters, Egan is not just another opponent. He played 71 times for the Bees in the Championship after joining from Gillingham in 2016, part of the club’s steady climb towards the elite. Those seasons laid foundations. They also revealed the qualities Andrews still leans on when he talks about the defender.
“I’m so happy for him that he’s made that move to Hull, got the promotion back, playing at the highest level and still playing a really important role for our country,” Andrews said. “He’s a player you would go into the trenches with. He’s been a magnificent player. He’s a man that I really admire and like.”
That last line tells you everything about how Sunday will feel for the Brentford manager. There will be no soft centre once the whistle goes, no room for sentiment in either penalty area. But as Egan organises Hull’s defence against a club he once served and a coach who knows every crease of his game, the contest will carry a personal edge.
One of Andrews’ most trusted warriors now stands in his way.
