Continuing the latest development to www.hullfc.com including blog’s from Hull FC’s head coach and captain, skipper Sean Long begins a season of blogging with a look back on a great night at his former club St.Helens.

I am really pleased to have this opportunity to write to you every week and I have to say I couldn’t have wished for a better start to life with Hull FC!

Not just because of the great away win over Saints at the weekend, only the second in Super League I believe, but generally the great vibe around the place at the moment.

To be handed the captaincy was a terrific honour and just to feel the response to that and pre-season and the warmth of the players, coaches, staff and you the Old Faithful has been fantastic.

I think I have been quoted as saying already that it has taken me back a little, we all know how big rugby league is in this city and how big Hull FC are as a club, that’s why I came here, but still, I think it came as a bit of a surprise how mad it is over here. Just look at the reaction of the travelling supporters on Saturday!

The game itself was tough, it took a lot out of our defence but I think we really showed how together and committed we are as a group of plays and took everything Saints threw at us.

There aren’t many teams who can do that, most would have cracked in the first 20 minutes, but we held them and went on to produce an excellent hard working performance. It was a good effort all round and to come up with two scores before half time really set us on our way.

I thought across the board we played very well, but I do want to pick out one player and one moment in particular that I think deserves and special mention and that is Kirk Yeaman.

His tackle at the death in the first half was such a crucial turning point. I know more than anyone how Saints can come at you in the second half and with that try under their belts as well, they would have made it extremely difficult. But Yeamo came up with a great hit and that just encapsulated everything we are about.

I know there have been a few reports highlighting I was a little nervous and that is because I was! It is difficult not to when something like that gets thrown up, but I knew I had to keep it bottled up and produce a strong performance.

I certainly didn’t want it to rub off on the boys, which it can, but in the end I think it has probably propelled my performance a little bit. I started with a couple of poor kicks but once I got them out of my system I was ok and it turned out to be a great night, not for me, but for the whole team.

It was a great team performance and as I said on my Sky interview afterwards, that Man of the Match champagne was for all of us because we really played well together out there.

Finally, I certainly can’t finish my first blog without mentioning you guys, the Old Faithful.

I know it is a bit clichéd, but really, the supporters were astonishing. They are unbelievable. The noise they created at Saints on Saturday was fantastic and it really gave us a lift. We were all very tired in that second half, but just hearing them picked us all up and pulled us through and it just shows how important that can be. They really are the 18th man!

However, like us kicking on from here on the field, we need the fans to do it off the field too. I really can’t wait for the Huddersfield game to hear them again and I know, if we can give them something to cheer about, they will once again really make the difference.

I was speaking to some of the boys earlier and they have all heard that a couple of areas of the KC are looking like sell outs, so if that is the case it will be really fantastic and we hope people do come down.

It will be a good game on Friday and we are all looking forward to it. We know we haven’t done anything yet, we have only played a game and that certainly doesn’t make you a good team overnight. We have plenty to improve on, but we can only get better the more we play together. We are strong as a team, we work hard as a team and we certainly have each others back and that is exactly how it should be.

I also hear the weather isn’t too bad either, so you might actually get to see the full 80 this time!

All the best and we look forward to hearing you once again on Friday.

Longy

As an aside….

Now Clarky has been pressuring me to come up with some funny stories to throw in the blog each week and I have definately had to put my thinking cap on! He keeps saying I am a character and now I have written a book I should be able to come up with some good stuff!

However, away from the fact that all the lads have created their own Super League Dream Team mini-league, I could only think of one place to start!

That is pre-season and down at the famous Gordon Street Gym in one of my first sessions. Rich had lined up some weights and some wrestling for us and obviously I was looking to take it steady as I had just got back.

We all set up to do a couple of exercises, one man running in with the ball and another coming in for the hit and then going underneath. Pretty relaxed stuff and it was agreed we would all go in at 50%!

50%- What a load of rubbish that turned out to be!!

As I ran in at half speed, I ended up coming up against Kenty [Liam Kent], one of our younger, more enthusiastic lads. In a flash, operating at so called 50%, I went from being upright to flipped fully upside down and dumped on my neck!

Well at that, everyone fell about laughing, I wasn’t sure what had just hit me and Rich stood by clearly thinking ‘Oh my God, he’s dead!”

We all saw the funny side and I have certainly learnt my lesson and cheers Kenty, for nearly breaking my neck!

Welcome to Hull!