"Mentally, it's been hard to stay switched on when you're not expecting the outcome we had," said Ayling.
Hull City's Remarkable Rise
Hull City enters the final having defied statistical expectations, moving from a near-relegation finish last year to the brink of the Premier League.
"But now we're buzzing to get this club back into the Premier League," said Ayling.
According to Sky Sports data, Hull City statistics showed they should have finished second-bottom this season based on Expected Goals, having conceded 66 goals during the regular season.
Hull City striker Oli McBurnie, who scored 17 league goals alongside teammate Joe Gelhardt's 15, credited their clinical finishing for overriding the negative data projections.
"I think it's one thing we pride ourselves on is being clinical and being ruthless when we have chances," said McBurnie.
The forward highlighted that the quality of chances created by the midfield played an important role in their high shot-conversion metrics.
"One thing as well we have the lads that create such good chances for us," said McBurnie.
The striker dismissed the relevance of advanced analytical models, stating that actual match results are the only metric that matters to the team.
"I think a lot of the positions that we get ourselves in are going to be goals a lot more often than not," said McBurnie.
He praised Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic for his tactical flexibility and willingness to alter setups mid-match to secure victories.
"People like to speak about data and stuff, but points is the only data that matters to us and we've got to ride on that," said McBurnie.
The forward noted that Jakirovic lacks the rigidness often found in other managers, allowing the team to adapt quickly to different match challenges.
"He's a winner, that's the best thing I can say about him," added McBurnie.
The promotion final is scheduled to kick off at Wembley Stadium at 3:30 p. m.
UK time.
"He'll win by any means necessary," added McBurnie.
The match winner will secure a return to the Premier League alongside an estimated 205 million pounds in additional revenue.
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"If that means changing the game after 15, 20 minutes because something isn't working, he's not stubborn like a lot of managers are - without it being his way or the highway," added McBurnie.
