Five key dates for FC to put in their diaries
HULL FC have reached the half-way point of the season and they find themselves in a solid position.
With 13 games played, they’ve won eight, they sit in fifth and they’ll have high hopes of edging their way into the top four in the coming weeks.
No game is easy and Brett Hodgson’s side will be keen to produce their best on a weekly basis to make sure they claim a play-off space.
However, some matches will intrigue more than others.
Here’s a look at five key dates coming up for the Black and Whites.
Catalans (a) - June 11
FC and Catalans played out an enthralling encounter when they met last month at the MKM with the home side narrowly taking the spoils.
Hodgson will be keen to see a repeat performance in Perpignan, which is a notoriously difficult place to go, especially in the height of summer.
It will be a test of FC’S credentials and Steve Mcnamara’s side will also give the Black and Whites’ mettle and mental strength a stern examination, too.
A result in France wouldn’t be the be all and end all, but it would certainly give
Hull a huge boost.
Hull KR (n) - July 10
FC don’t have a good record at Magic Weekend, but they’ll be determined to see off Hull KR at St James’ Park in July.
Hodgson’s side turned in their worst performance of the season at Craven Park on Good Friday and they were criticised heavily on the back of it.
It’s a performance that will stay with the head coach and he’ll be desperate to see his men right some wrongs and reclaim the derby bragging rights.
The Robins aren’t in good form at present and with players ruled out on a long-term basis, they will be missing key men in Newcastle.
Make no mistake, Hull will have this fixture ringed on their calendar.
Castleford (h) - July 24
There’s a couple of reasons why this one will be key and the first one is FC’S last performance against the Tigers.
Hull were sub-par and came up short as the head coach criticised his side’s attitude and mindset heading into the game.
They’ll be eager to set the record straight against Castleford, who are currently just four points below FC in the league table. This game will also be Lee Radford’s first at the MKM Stadium since being sacked in March 2020.
He’s sure to do his bit to build up the game in the press and he’ll be keen to claim more points against his old side.
St Helens (h) - August 14
FC lost the game, but they had Saints rocking on a couple of occasions, particularly in the first half, when they met at the Totally Wicked Stadium earlier this month.
As such, they’ll fancy their chances of finally being able to pick up a win over the Merseysiders and end their rotten head-to-head record of 13 straight defeats.
KR (h) - September 3
The Airlie Birds will end the season by hosting their biggest rivals at the MKM Stadium and as always when it comes to a derby, nothing less than a win will do.
Regardless of the table situation Hull find themselves in on the final day, there will be plenty of interest in this one and both will want to end the season on a high.
However, depending on how the second half of the season goes, there could be even more riding on this derby and a performance like the one on Good Friday wouldn’t go down well.