LITTEN'S TRY NOT ENOUGH AS FC LOSE MORE GROUND IN CHASE FOR PLAY-OFFS

Hull FC's long wait for a home victory goes on, with St Helens running out 13-6 winners at the MKM Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

- By DAN TOMLINSON

The Saints just about edged it, with the Black and Whites being their own worst enemies once again.

They were too erratic with the ball, and they failed to mount the necessary pressure early on, instead chasing the game and ultimately running out of steam in what was a gritty second-half fightback.

In fact, it says everything about Hull this year that they were still in this game at halftime and going into the final quarter despite a mountain of possession for the Saints early on.

Under John Cartwright, they fight to the end, and they work hard, but they've got to be smarter with the ball and their pass selections.

The first attacking set of the second half told the story.

Hull had a great chance to hit back. They got the scrum, 20 out, but they knocked the ball on on the first tackle. That pattern was frequent and, in the end, was their undoing.

But there's plenty of spirit in this Hull team and plenty to like in terms of their resilience, but until they get the polish to go with their performance, the top six is going to be a big ask, with the side now locked on as many league defeats as they are wins.

There's work to do, even if the side were led by a superb performance from veteran Zak Hardaker at fullback.