A Hull FC Reserves side consisting of as many as twelve Academy players held on to defeat Salford Red Devils Reserves 34-28 at the Salford Community Stadium.
Hull were in control in the first-half after tries from Callum Barfield, Ben Johnson and Ryan Westerman, but their 16-0 lead was cut to 16-6 shortly before the break.
Salford made Hull work hard for their win in the second-half, but a second from Barfield and further tries from Lloyd Kemp and Leon Stewart sent the Black & Whites back down the M62 with the two points, keeping them in the running to make the Grand Final.
The Match
Jeylan Hodgson’s smart burst out of dummy-half from halfway almost allowed Lennon Bursell to open the scoring, only for Salford to thwart the back-rower with a scrambling defensive effort. However, the ball went through the hands as it headed left on the next play and Callum Barfield dived in to score at the corner.
Earning back-to-back penalties from the kick-off restart enabled Hull to tighten their iron grip on the game in the early stages, with the twinkle-toed Ben Johnson navigating a way through the Salford defensive line after taking in Callum Kemp’s offload.
Salford seldom looked like scoring in the opening quarter, but FC’s early dominant spell ended not long after Johnson’s try when the hosts stemmed the flow and the game became a set-for-set battle.
However, the visitors added to their lead with 25 minutes played when Callum Kemp popped a lovely ball back on the inside for his twin brother, Lloyd Kemp, to dummy through. He drew in the fullback and found Ryan Westerman in support to finish off from less than ten metres out.
But Hull were forced on the back foot not long after the kick-off restart, with Westerman’s pass to Shaw deep inside his own half deemed forward by referee, Tara Jones. Salford’s approach in attack appeared scratchy, but former Leeds youngster Kai Morgan smoothed things out with an elusive run at first receiver to score the Red Devils’ first points of the afternoon.
HALF-TIME: Red Devils Reserves 6-16 Hull Reserves
Having forced a goal-line drop-out early in the second-half, Salford had the wind in their sails and they were soon on FC’s heels when John Hutchings showed neat footwork to break through Hull’s defensive line and barge past fullback Lloyd Kemp on his way over the whitewash.
Hull’s brothers were soon linking up in attack again, though. Lloyd Kemp timed his run out of the back to perfection as he came onto Callum Kemp’s deep pass with such pace that Salford’s defenders were unable to stop the FC fullback from scoring to restore the Black & Whites’ cushion.
Salford’s hard work to reduce the deficit to four points had all been undone and Lloyd Kemp was at the centre of it all, because shortly after his try, he turned provider for Barfield’s second of the game. The fullback miraculously twisted out of a tackle and fended off another defender before firing a pass out wide for his winger to slide in at the left corner.
A tidy drop-off pass from Nathan Connell allowed Charlie McCurrie to pierce his way through the defensive line and power in from 20 metres out as Salford remained of interest in the tie with 20 minutes remaining.
Ultimately, the theme of the afternoon for Salford was that they were chasing the scoreboard, and their task was made that bit more difficult when Will Hutchinson made a sharp dummy-half break and put Leon Stewart away.
Despite holding a commanding lead heading into the final ten minutes, Hull had to buckle up for a late Salford barrage as the hosts threatened a dramatic comeback, which started when McCurrie powered in for his second of the afternoon.
Westerman was penalised for a dangerous tip tackle inside the final two minutes, allowing Salford to pull the trigger with a sweetly-executed move towards the left channel, with Ethan Fitzgerald finishing off the move.
But any Hull panic of a last-gasp Salford comeback was kept at bay by the clock – after the missed conversion attempt, Tara Jones blew her whistle and the Black & Whites’ young Reserves held on to take victory in Greater Manchester.
FULL-TIME: Red Devils Reserves 28-34 Hull Reserves
Squads & Scorers
Hull: L Kemp, Barfield, Stewart, Westerman, Shaw, Johnson, C Kemp, Turner, Hodgson, Baker, Clark, Bursell, Jebson
Hull Interchanges: Calvert, Haldenby, Hutchinson, Kirby
Hull Tries: Barfield (2), Johnson, Westerman, L Kemp, Stewart
Hull Goals: Westerman (5/6)
Red Devils: Connell, Coope-Franklin, Wagstaffe, Kian Morgan, Fitzgerald, Kai Morgan, Gatcliffe, Bardyel-Wells, Yates, Pye, McCurrie, Hutchings, C Glover
Red Devils Interchanges: Coan, Davidson, B Glover, Lowo
Red Devils Tries: Kai Morgan, Hutchings, McCurrie (2), Fitzgerald
Red Devils Goals: Kai Morgan (4/5)
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