HULL FC 16 WIGAN WARRIORS 20
JAMES CHESTNEY, MKM Stadium, Saturday

THEY led for almost an hour but Hull FC’s magnificent display saw them fall just short against a Wigan side who were far from their fluent best of recent weeks.

The Airlie Birds put in possibly their best performance of the season only to be beaten by a late Harry Smith try.

After Adam Keighran levelled with a penalty, Smith darted through a gap to plant the ball down with eight minutes remaining.

Wigan seemed unable to keep hold of the ball early on and Hull made them pay. After a knock-on, Jake Arthur and Aidan Sezer both went close before Lewis Martin grabbed a try in the corner in his first game back. 

Junior Nsemba then lost the ball and Hull almost increased their lead with another Martin try. A high kick from Arthur was allowed to bounce and when the ball went to Martin he put in a kick of his own only to be taken out by Liam Farrell for a penalty.

Despite losing forwards Farrell and Luke Thompson to injury in quick succession, the visitors responded with a try from Zach Eckersley. The ball was sent wide by Smith for Bevan French, making his first start following injury, to fire a bullet pass out to the winger who acrobatically scored in the corner. 

Adam Keighran, like Zak Hardaker before him, failed with the conversion attempt.

Wigan again lost possession and Hull added to their total. Fullback Logan Moy was tackled short but a quick play-the-ball saw Tom Briscoe’s inside pass put in Harvey Barron and Hardaker converted off the touchline for 10-4 in their favour.

Briscoe and Davy Litten had try claims turned down by the video referee as Hull, despite losing Joe Batchelor, who later returned, and Harvey Barron to HIAs, continued to take the game to Wigan. 

The only response was a Smith try which was chalked off for a forward pass from Jai Field as Hull went in at the break with a six-point lead.

Wigan were boosted to start the second half when a a successful Captain’s Challenge and a Jed Cartwright knock-on led to a Noah Hodkinson try off a Field pass. Keighran was again wide with the conversion to keep the home side ahead.

After Jake Wardle was held short at one end, two set restarts brought Hull forward and the ball went through hands for Cartwright to right the earlier wrong with a try. Hardaker’s conversion gave Hull a 16-8 lead.

The hour mark almost saw the try of the season when an attempted Smith 40/20 was pushed back by Moy behind his own line. French and Martin went into a foot race and the former looked to have got there first, but Moy was found to have been in touch so the 40/20, rather than the try, was given.

However, Wigan didn’t let up and two minutes later Keighran went in for a converted try and added a penalty soon after to level things up.

This game was there for the taking by both sides as Sezer pulled a drop-goal attempt wide, but it was Smith, normally the drop-goal heartbreaker, who got the winner with a try.

There could have been further points late on for Wigan but Nsemba was guilty of an obstruction on Briscoe in the build-up to a Wardle effort, before Keighran missed a long-range penalty.

GAMESTAR: Hull’s Jake Arthur led his side round the field and was at the heart of everything they did well going forward.

GAMEBREAKER: The Harry Smith try going into the final ten minutes which gave Wigan the lead for the first time in the contest.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: The ‘nearly’ try for Bevan French off a superb Harry Smith 40/20 attempt which was given and the try not.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Jake Arthur (Hull FC)
2 pts Adam Keighran (Wigan)
1 pt Logan Moy (Hull FC)

MATCHFACTS

HULL FC
24 Logan Moy
2 Harvey Barron
19 Tom Briscoe
3 Davy Litten
5 Lewis Martin
6 Jake Arthur
7 Aidan Sezer
8 Herman Ese’ese
9 Amir Bourouh
10 Harvie Hill
11 Joe Batchelor
4 Zak Hardaker
26 Hugo Salabio
Subs (all used)
12 Jed Cartwright
25 Matty Laidlaw
29 Will Hutchinson
38 Jeremiah Mata’utia
18th man (not used)
36 Lennon Clark
Also in 21-man squad
15 James Bell
27 Callum Kemp
32 Lloyd Kemp

Tries: Martin (5), Barron (22), Cartwright (52)
Goals: Hardaker 2/3

WARRIORS
1 Jai Field
2 Zach Eckersley
3 Adam Keighran
4 Jake Wardle
28 Noah Hodkinson
6 Bevan French
7 Harry Smith
20 Sam Eseh
9 Brad O’Neill
10 Luke Thompson
11 Junior Nsemba
12 Liam Farrell
17 Oliver Partington
Subs (all used)
13 Kaide Ellis
15 Patrick Mago
19 Jack Farrimond
23 Kian McDermott
18th man (not used)
25 Taylor Kerr
Also in 21-man squad
27 Lukas Mason
33 George O’Loughlin
41 Shea O’Connor

Tries: Eckersley (17), Hodkinson (45), Keighran (61), Smith (72)
Goals: Keighran 2/6

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 4-4, 10-4; 10-8, 16-8, 16-14, 16-18, 16-20

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Hull FC: Jake Arthur; Warriors: Adam Keighran

Penalty count: 6-12
Half-time: 10-4
Referee: Liam Moore
Attendance: 12,272