Leigh withstand Hull FC's second-half fightback

Betfred Super League

Hull FC (0) 22

Tries: Barron 2, Cust, Clark Goals: Hardaker 3

Leigh (28) 32

Tries: Charnley 2, Cook, Armstrong 2, Hanley Goals: Cook 4

Leigh Leopards weathered a second-half storm from a revitalised Hull FC to move back into the play-off spots.

All-time Super League top try-scorer Josh Charnley opened the scoring and came up with a crucial second try with nine minutes left just as Andy Last's struggling side were threatening to overturn a 28-point half-time deficit.

Hull FC have now lost nine of their past 10 games to slump to second bottom of the table and their first-half display was dishevelled and disjointed as Charnley, Adam Cook, a double from David Armstrong and another try from Umyla Hanley put the visitors firmly in top.

But the Black and Whites lifted themselves in the second period as Harvey Barron scored twice and Cade Cust and Lennon Clark also went over.

Leigh's Owen Trout was sin-binned as the Leopards looked increasingly shaky, until Cook produced a 40-20 and then a brilliant pass to set up Charnley's second to settle matters.

The win, which was Leigh's 10th in their past 12 matches, took them up to fifth place above both St Helens and Hull KR.

Adrian Lam's team are one of the in-form outfits in the competition and they soon showed why as Charnley pounced on a loose ball to score and then Cook chased his own kick and made full use of a fortuitous bounce to add another and convert it himself.

Cook's penalty, two pacy finishes from Armstrong, and Hanley's burst through another gaping hole in the defence had Leigh comfortably ahead of scoreless Hull FC at half-time, and brought a smattering of boos from home fans in the MKM Stadium.

But the hosts responded well and gained a foothold as Barron finished a sweeping move, before Cust finished off excellent work by Aidan Sezer and 20-year-old Lennon Clark scored on his home debut to move his side within two scores of the visitors.

Leigh's nerves showed as Trout hauled back Cust as he was poised to take Sezer's pass and race for the line, with the Leopards man receiving a yellow card for the offence shortly after the hour mark.

Cook broke the spell with two pieces of magic, relieving the intense pressure with a superb 40-20 kick, and from the platform he created, he flung a brilliant pass over the top for Charnley to finish acrobatically and take his seasonal tally to 22.

Barron instantly replied with his second from Zak Hardaker's terrific high-ball gather and pass, but it was too late, with Hull FC's only consolation being that Leigh's win edges their rivals, and defending champions, Hull KR out of the top six.

Hull interim coach Andy Last told BBC Radio Humberside:

"I'm proud of the second 40 minutes but bitterly disappointed with the first half, which was not a reflection of what we are as a group.

"It was a tough half-time. I didn't shout and bawl, I just questioned the lads' character and their effort, and their heart for 80 minutes in the competition, which is a horrible thing to challenge them with.

"They responded in the right way and played a good brand of rugby in the second half, and got the fundamentals right, which is completing some sets, turning the ball over in the right areas, bending your back and digging in defensively, and making Leigh having to work out of their own end. We forced them into some errors and capitalised on that."

Leigh coach Adrian Lam told BBC Radio Manchester:

"The second half was a little bit nerve-wracking but I thought our first half was unbelievably good. After the performance last week we worked really hard on starting well and giving ourselves a chance, especially up here.

"They're not doing too well on the ladder, but some of their performances in the last month have been pretty good, and they've been unlucky. They're a tough team to beat.

"[In the second half] a couple of decisions and choices hurt us a little bit and built momentum for them, but I don't really want to dwell on that, I'm really happy at the moment."

Hull FC: Moy; Barron, Hardaker, Litten, Briscoe; Arthur, Sezer; Salabio, Bourouh, Hill, Batchelor, O'Neill, Bell

Interchanges: Aydin, Clark, Cust, Ese'ese

Leigh: O'Brien; Senior, Armstrong, Hanley, Charnley; Cook, Lam; Trout, Horne, Liu, Halton, Hughes, Brogan.

Interchanges: Davis, Vaalepu, Brown, Ipape.

Sin-bin: Trout (61)

Referee: Aaron Moore