Warrington retain top-two hopes with win at Hull FC
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Betfred Super League
Hull FC (2) 14
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Tries: O'Neill, Briscoe Goals: Sezer 3
Warrington (12) 16
Tries: Hayes, Ashton, Thewlis Goals: Williams 2
Warrington Wolves held off a spirited late Hull FC fightback to secure their sixth successive win and retain their hopes of a top-two finish in Super League.
With the scores tied at 2-2 heading into the final five minutes of the first half, errors in defence allowed the away side to score back-to-back tries through Leon Hayes and Matty Ashton.
Josh Thewlis extended Wire's lead with the home side down to 12 men after Ligi Sao was sin-binned for a high shot on Ashton.
Ethan O'Neill crossed for the home side's first try and Tom Briscoe, making his final home appearance for Hull before retiring, quickly got a second to cut Warrington's lead to just two points, but the third-placed visitors held out to move two points behind Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors.
The tone for what was at times an attritional encounter played in wet conditions in East Yorkshire was set in the opening minute when the home side had James Batchelor sin-binned for a tackle on Arron Lindop, who subsequently failed a head injury assessment.
Warrington captain George Williams kicked the away side into the lead after 18 minutes before Aidan Sezer made it 2-2 from a Hull penalty shortly afterwards.
It looked like that was how the half would end but the home side, who have now lost 18 of their 25 Super League matches this year, then produced two errors under high kicks in three minutes that were both punished by Sam Burgess' men as Hayes and Ashton went over.
Thewlis' score seemed to have put the game out of reach of Hull before the home side surprisingly rallied with 15 minutes to go.
O'Neill went over on Hull's left before the retiring Briscoe scored the 233rd try of his illustrious career.
The Black and Whites pushed for another score but Warrington held out, while the home side were perhaps lucky to end the game with 13 men on the field with Sao involved in further incidents after his sin-binning.
The Wolves head to fourth-placed Wakefield next Saturday, with Hull travelling to Toulouse Olympique on Friday.
Hull FC: Moy; Barron, Litten, Briscoe, Martin; Arthur, Sezer; Ese'ese, Bourouh, Hill, Batchelor, O'Neill, Bell.
Interchanges: Kemp, Lisone, Romano, Sao.
Sin-bin: Batchelor (1), Sao (45).
Warrington: Thewlis, Hopoate, Lindop, King, Ashton, Williams, Hayes, Byrne, Walker, Harrison, Bentley, Stone, Currie.
Interchanges: Powell, Wood, Philbin, Thomas, Crowther.
Referee: Chris Kendall.