Round 4
Hull FC 6 l. Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 19

2007 engage English Super League Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: United Kingdom > National > First Grade Competition: engage English Super League

Wildcats on top of the Super League table after win over Hull FC
Mon March 5, 2007
Source: www.superleague.co.uk

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats went top of the Super League table for the first time in their history with a 19-6 win over Hull FC to provide coach John Kear with a victorious return to the KC Stadium.

A Challenge Cup winner with the Black and Whites in 2005, Kear was axed just two months into last season and will have felt a great deal of satisfaction at condemning his former club to a third successive defeat.

More important will be his side's success - their third in a row - which buries all memories of their opening day defeat to Hull KR.

Peter Sharp's men - runners up in last year's Grand Final - have now failed to register a win from their opening four games and once again looked a shadow of the side that posted 13 straight wins last season.

Wakefield were indebted to the performance of stand-off Jamie Rooney, although it is arguable their success was just as much down to the absence of Hull's number six.

After returning from injury against Warrington Wolves last weekend, Paul Cooke missed this clash with a hamstring injury which is expected to rule him out for up to five weeks.

It is a sad fact for Sharp that his side struggle to perform offensively without Cooke, although it was more than that which saw them trail 12-6 at the interval.

Lee Radford spilt the ball in only the second tackle of the game and Wakefield were not slow to capitalise.

Rooney was able to pierce the Hull line with a deft kick which caused enough confusion between Motu Tony and Gareth Raynor to allow Jason Demetriou to nip in and score in the second minute.

Danny Tickle posted a try and a goal to push Hull in front just minutes later after good work from Ewan Dowes, although the home side were unable to push on.

Instead, Wakefield grew in strength and despite seeing Brett Ferres sin-binned and Danny Sculthorpe placed on report, they ended the half on top thanks to Paul March's try and two Rooney goals.

March's try came on the back of good work by Matt Blaymire and Rooney, while the second of Rooney's goals was a penalty given against Matt Sing.

Hull began the second period with greater purpose, although the kicking game of Tommy Lee - Cooke's replacement - and Richard Horne failed to provide them with good enough field position.

Hull continued to spill possession at key times and failed to create a single scoring chance as forwards Radford and Richard Swain were forced into taking control of the kicking game, before Ferres secured Wakefield's remarkable win.

After Ben Jeffries had burst through Hull's line to race clear, the scrum-half regained enough composure to draw Tony before sending Ferres cruising over the line. Rooney's third goal opened up what proved to be an unassailable lead.

The final nail in Hull's coffin came in the shape of Rooney's 75th-minute drop goal, much to the joy of the travelling fans.

Hull FC (6) 6
Tries: Tickle
Goals: Tickle

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats (12) 19
Tries: Demetriou, P. March, Ferres
Goals: Rooney 3
Drop Goals: Rooney

Hull FC: Tony, Sing, Whiting, Yeaman, Raynor, Lee, R. Horne, Dowes, Swain, Carvell, Radford, Tickle, Washbrook.
Replacements: Domic, Manu, Wheeldon, King.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats: Blaymire, Fox, Demetriou, Henderson, Tadulala, Rooney, Jeffries, Watene, P. March, Moore, Elima, MacGillivray, Ferres.
Replacements: Sculthorpe, Catic, Latu, Pryce.

Referee: A Klein

Att: 13,229

Report source: www.superleague.co.uk

Article: Kear thrilled by Hull return

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