Hull FC Reserves secured their third win of the season this afternoon, coming from behind to defeat Warrington Wolves Reserves 34-20 at Victoria Park.
Hull trailed 16-6 with little more than a quarter of the game played, but Franklin Pele got the visitors back to within four points just before the break.
Denive Balmforth gave Hull the lead early in the second-half, and although Warrington fought back, the Black & Whites took control in the final stages and scored a further three tries to seal a hard-fought victory on the road.
The Match
The Black & Whites took the lead early on after the two sides battled for territory, but Davy Litten’s flicked offload allowed Logan Moy to break down the right wing. The young fullback grubber kicked towards the in-goal area and Litten raced through to dot down.
But Warrington were offered an invitation to draw back onto level terms when the visitors spilled a tricky kick-off restart. The ball was spread to the left during the resulting set and former Hull FC loanee forward Joe Bullock powered over from close range.
Although Warrington also spilled the kick-off restart, Hull failed to convert the gift-wrapped opportunity. At the other end, FC were punished. The Wolves threw some shape Hull’s way, forcing an overlap, and the dynamic fullback Cai Taylor-Wray was able to dart through an opening in the defensive line to score.
Similarly, a dangerous offload in the middle of the field for Warrington gave them another overlap, this time on the right edge. Taylor-Wray, satisfied with the try he scored ten minutes prior, unselfishly fed winger Frank Sergent to score in the corner.
Having conceded another penalty after play resumed, Hull may have feared the worst, but they got their house in order defensively, still knowing they had to go the long way around in terms of getting back into the game.
But the introduction of Jayden Okunbor and Franklin Pele from the bench gave the visitors a much-needed lift with the ball as the pair mucked in with some big carries in the middle of the park.
It didn’t take Pele long to crash over the whitewash, carrying several Warrington defenders on his back from a fair fifteen metres out, which brought the Black & Whites back to within four points of the Wolves with five minutes until the interval.
HALF-TIME: Wolves Reserves 16-12 Hull Reserves
Hull started the second-half pretty much as well as they finished the first, scoring in the first set after the restart. Pele’s quick play-the-ball on halfway was practically an open invitation for Balmforth to dart out of dummy-half, breaking through a disconnected defensive line with a show-and-go, before then bumping off Warrington fullback Taylor-Wray on his way to scoring.
Once again, FC’s lead did not last long. A neat move to the right flank saw Nolan Tupaea readjust his body position to take in a pass that had just drifted behind him, but he took possession and fed Sergent, who raced in to score his second try of the game in the right corner.
The game, played in a good spirit throughout, was bubbling up nicely as two competitive packs went at it hammer and tong. Meanwhile, Hull’s backs were doing a good job of starting sets well, with some strong backline carries from the likes of Liam Tindall, Callum Shaw and Logan Moy.
As strongly as Warrington resisted the Black & Whites, there was little they could do to stop a barnstorming run from Pele, as the powerful front-rower travelled some distance to score Hull’s fourth try of the game.
Despite Ryan Westerman’s conversion attempt drifting narrowly wide, leaving Hull just two points in front, any nerves were quickly settled when the visitors got themselves in front by two scores when Sully Medforth took advantage of a chaotic final play.
Mackenzie Harman’s kick wasn’t fielded by the Wolves backline and Litten collected possession, flicking the ball back towards Tindall. Litten got the ball back from his winger, kicking through for himself. The ball then took an awkward bounce, which forced the young centre to have another punt with his right boot. Medforth simply found himself in the right place at the right time and the Black & Whites had a second try in the space of four minutes.
The win was rubber stamped with three minutes to go when Moy, back in the Reserves this weekend, stabbed a kick through for himself, with the ball popping back up into his hands for him to stroll over the try-line.
FULL-TIME: Wolves Reserves 20-34 Hull Reserves
Squads & Scorers
Hull: Moy, Shaw, Litten, Westerman, Tindall, Johnson, Medforth, Gardiner, Hodgson, Laidlaw, Jebson, Bursell, Balmforth
Hull Interchanges: Armstrong, Harman, Okunbor, Pele
Hull Tries: Litten, Pele (2), Balmforth, Medforth, Moy
Hull Goals: Westerman (5/6)
Wolves: Taylor-Wray, Sergent, Gardner, Bardsley-Rowe, Thewlis, Hickey, Whalley, Shingler, Hartill, Bullock, Antrobus, Tupaea, Whitehead
Wolves Interchanges: High, Parnaby, Raughter, Reddecliff
Wolves Tries: Bullock, Taylor-Wray, Sergent (2)
Wolves Goals: Hickey (2/4)
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