Giants fall short despite spirited performance

Huddersfield Giants 10-17 Hull FC

Huddersfield Giants (10) 10

Tries: Ashall-Bott

Goals: Russell (3)

Drop Goals:

Yellow Card: Russell 39'

Hull FC (0) 17

Tries: Fonua, Logan, Wynne

Goals: Sneyd (2)

Drop Goals: Sneyd

Huddersfield Giants: Ashall-Bott; Senior, Cudjoe, Wood, McIntosh; Gaskell, Russell; Gavet, Golding, Ashworth; Jones, Greenwood; Trout

Interchange: English, Cunningham, Hewitt, Wilson

Hull FC: Wynne; Faraimo, Fonua, Logan, Vulikijapani; Reynolds, Sneyd; Sao, Johnstone, Fash; Ma'u, Scott; Cator

Interchange: McNamara, Brown, Walker, Burrell

Huddersfield Giants fell short despite a spirited performance to Hull FC in the Betfred Super League, losing 17-10 at the KCOM Stadium. 

Huddersfield were without a raft of first team players prior to kick-off, and only named a 13-man squad in the lead up to the game pending further additions. The side that lined up featured Olly Ashall-Bott at full-back, making his debut for the club after a spell on loan at Wakefield. Elsewhere, Sam Wood was recalled and Ashton Golding lined-up at hooker, having played in that position while on-loan at Bradford Bulls. 

Huddersfield scored early on after 10 minutes, as Olly Ashall-Bott got over for a debut try to give Huddersfield an early lead. Russell added the extras and the Giants pocketed a six-point lead. 

The hosts piled on the pressure following on from the kick, and forced two goal-line drop outs in quick succession to turn up the heat on the Giants. An offside penalty forced four straight sets defending the Giants line, but the Giants held firm and after a mistake by the Hull FC attack, the Giants recovered the ball. 

The Giants would extend their lead to eight points in the 18th minute, courtesy of a penalty converted from 20 metres by Olly Russell, ending a positive first quarter for the Giants. 

Huddersfield thought they were in again courtesy of Ashton Golding in the 26th minute, but he was deemed to have been held up. The Giants recovered the ball after a loose pass and received six-again, and won themselves another opportunity for the boot of Russell, which was dutifully put away to give the Giants a 10 point lead with 12 to play in the first half. 

With just one play to go in the first half, Olly Russell was given a yellow card, but Hull missed the resulting penalty, meaning the Giants went into the shed with a clean defensive record and a 10-0 lead. 

The Giants resistance was broken, however after 10 minutes of the second half, as McIntosh stumbled (he would later be stretched off and the Black and Whites touched down for their first try of the game courtesy of Fonua. Sneyd, once again, was wayward with the boot. 

The home side would them strike level courtesy of loanee Jack Logan, with Marc Sneyd putting his first kick of the night between the uprights to level the game at ten apiece and would take the lead soon after, courtesy of full-back Connor Wynne, who dived over underneath the sticks to give Hull FC the lead for the first time in the match, with Sneyd adding his second of the afternoon soon after. 

After both sides had attempts on their opponents line, Marc Sneyd would extend the hosts lead with 4 minutes remaining with a drop goal from 15m out.