WOLVES took it down to the wire before their unbeaten start to 2016 ended at the KC Stadium.

Joint leading try scorer Ben Currie could have swung a club Super League record-equalling 10th successive win Warrington’s way but he was held up over the try line with three minutes remaining.

As it was, the winning try five minutes from time was the second of a brace from Hull’s 21-year-old left winger Curtis Naughton, who clinically finished off some slick handling in response to possession being regained from a Daryl Clark charge-down.

For Naughton, it was the last laugh in a match-long personal duel with former teammate Tom Lineham, who also crossed twice on his first return to the KC Stadium since joining The Wire.

But that was only a smidgeon of that eye-catching sub-plot on the flank, which featured three Lineham disallowed tries. (Browse the Lineham sub-plot pictures in our photo gallery above).

The hostile and unforgiving home fans, chanting abuse and jeering Lineham throughout, roared with delight each time their new local hero Naughton – one of 11 Hull-born players on display – got the upper hand.

Their silence was deafening though in the 68th minute when it seemed possible that Lineham’s second score from a nicely laid crash-over pass from Rhys Evans could be decisive.

Lineham thought so too, judging by the sight of gritted teeth in celebration as well as ending his frustration of those three tries that were scratched.

The last one, dropping the ball while diving over under pressure from Kirk Yeaman when The Wire were 20-10 in front 12 minutes into the second half, was probably the most costly.

A try then would have almost certainly taken the game out of Hull’s reach but four minutes later Naughton got on the end of successive long passes from Marc Sneyd and Yeaman to spark a rally from the Airlie Birds.

Sneyd, whose additional conversion made the difference on a day Wolves were without their lethal marksman Kurt Gidley, was a constant menace. The scrum half had a hand in all home tries, including the winner.

Magical Chris Sandow, shortlisted this week for a second successive Super League player of the month award, was just as effective for Wolves but more spectacularly so, with one break from inside his own half creating a touchdown for Ryan Atkins and another earning himself a stunning try that was a psychological bonus just before half time.

But in the end it proved to be a gallant loss, coming as it did in the lottery-esque second game of Easter, without the services of form players Gidley and Matty Russell and after losing another ex-Hull man Joe Westerman to an ankle injury in the 25th minute.

And thankfully it was Hull not Wigan ending Wolves’ unbeaten run...we would never have heard the last of that.

INTERESTING NOTE:

Winning run ends at nine matches (seven in 2016, two at end of 2015)

Wolves not won both Easter games since 2010. Sequence is WL 2016, LL 2015, WL 2014, LW 2013, WL 2012, WL 2011

First defeat at Hull FC since 2007

First appearances of season for Jack Johnson and Dec Patton

MATCH FACTS:

Super League Round Eight, Monday, March 28, 2016

Hull FC 26 Warrington Wolves 24

Hull FC: Jamie Shaul; Callum Lancaster, Steve Michaels,Kirk Yeaman, Curtis Naughton; Jordan Abdull, Marc Sneyd; Liam Watts, Danny Houghton, Josh Bowden, Gareth Ellis, Dean Hadley, Danny Washbrook. Subs: Iafeta Paleaaesina, Chris Green, Jansin Turgut, Scott Taylor.

Wolves: Jack Johnson; Tom Lineham, Rhys Evans, Ryan Atkins, Kevin Penny; Stefan Ratchford, Chris Sandow; Chris Hill, Daryl Clark, Ashton Sims, Jack Hughes, Ben Currie, Joe Westerman. Subs: Ben Westwood, George King, Dec Patton, Jordan Cox.

Scoring: Sneyd try, 7mins, Sneyd goal, 6-0; Atkins try, 19mins, Sandow goal, 6-6; Lineham try, 23mins, 6-10; Shaul try, 28mins, 10-10; Penny try, 36mins, 10-14; Sandow try, 39mins, Ratchford goal, 10-20; Naughton try, 56mins, Sneyd goal, 16-20; Yeaman try, 59mins, Sneyd goal, 22-20; Lineham try, 68mins, 22-24; Naughton try, 75mins, 26-24.

Penalties: Hull FC 5 Wolves 6

Referee: Robert Hicks

Attendance: 9,967

Top Man: Ryan Atkins