Warrington Wolves maintain unbeaten home record with scrappy win over Hull FC

WARRINGTON Wolves maintained their unbeaten home record at The Halliwell Jones Stadium with a scrappy, error-strewn 12-4 victory over a stubborn Hull FC side.

A second-half double from centre Josh Smith spared the hosts’ blushes after an underwhelming performance that lacked attacking cohesion but ultimately kept them level on points with Leeds Rhinos at the summit of the Super League.
The visitors, despite battling a massive injury crisis, broke the deadlock early in the 7th minute. Following an uncharacteristic error from Matty Ashton deep in Wolves territory, Hull FC capitalised when Zak Hardaker delivered a crisp pass to allow winger Harvey Barron to dive over beautifully in the corner.
Warrington’s attack looked entirely out of sync as they struggled to find any momentum. Their discipline also let them down; a dangerous tackle from Luke Thomas in the 23rd minute resulted in a sin-binning, leaving Sam Burgess’ side to navigate ten minutes with a man disadvantage.
Despite continuous pressure, an execution-poor Hull FC failed to widen the gap, leaving the score at 4-0 to the Black and Whites at the break.
The Wire returned from the interval with greater urgency but continued to make hard work of breaking down an enthusiastic Hull FC defensive wall. The breakthrough finally came in the 47th minute. Warrington prop Liam Byrne launched an unexpected kick that was fumbled by the visitors’ defence, allowing Josh Smith to pounce and level the scores.
Marc Sneyd then stepped up to nail a superb, touchline conversion to crucially edge Warrington ahead at 6-4.Hull FC fought valiantly and thought they had retaken the lead in the 59th minute when Barron went over for what looked like his second try, only for the video referee to chalk it off for an obstruction in the build-up.
The closing stages remained tense and frantic, with both teams trading sloppy handling errors. Hull’s hopes of a late upset evaporated in the 79th minute when Amir Bourouh was sent to the sin-bin for ruck interference. Warrington instantly capitalised on the numerical advantage. On the very final hooter, Leon Hayes poked a clever grubber kick through the defensive line for Smith to secure his second try, putting the final gloss on a hard-fought, albeit ugly, two points.

Warrington Wolves: Lachlan Webster, Albert Hopoate, Matty Ashton, Josh Smith, Toby King, Leon Hayes, Marc Sneyd, Luke Thomas, Danny Walker, Liam Byrne, Joe Philbin, Ben Currie, Jordan Crowther
Interchanges: Sam Powell, Toafofoa Sipley, Ewan Smith, Kelepi Tanginoa 18th Man: Zack Gardner.

Hull FC: Logan Moy, Harvey Barron, Tom Briscoe, Zak Hardaker, Lloyd Kemp, Jake Arthur, Aidan Sezer, Jeremiah Mata’utia, Amir Bourouh, Harvie Hill, Joe Batchelor, Ethan O’Neill, Cade Cust.
Interchanges: Herman Ese’ese, Matty Laidlaw, Hugo Salabio, Will Kirby18th Man: Callum Kemp
Atten 8,815