HULL FC head coach John Cartwright addressed his side’s ongoing quest for a home win, as Castleford Tigers inflicted yet more MKM Stadium misery.
Hull’s dismal home form, stretching back ten games without a win since beating Wigan Warriors last July, continued as they fell to a 14-22 defeat to the Tigers.
In a lacklustre performance, the Black and Whites were humbled by a Castleford side who registered just their fourth win of the season.
A flurry of handling errors frustrated supporters who have seen a draw and five defeats at home this season across all competitions.
But on a night when cross-city rivals Hull KR celebrated the end of their 40-year trophy curse at a joyous Craven Park, Hull coach Cartwright played down his own side’s unwanted home record.
“I’m obviously disappointed for the fans that have turned out,” explained Cartwright, in a brutally honest post-match interview.
“At the end, if we slotted one of those kicks over we had a lot of momentum and still time left. We might have had a chance but it would have been a miracle if we won.
“There’s no excuse for turning the ball over the way we did today. There’s no such thing as a curse, though, for me. I’ve said it time and time, again. If you look at the games, we’ve played Wigan twice and Hull KR twice at home this season.
“We know it’s there but I don’t want to give it any air. People talk about it if you give it air, and we’ve just got to harden up.
“You can’t ensure this isn’t going to happen again, but there’s no magic cure. It’s hard to know where errors like that come from. I think every coach has had a game like that but we’ll put it down to experience.”