Relieved Abdull just happy to help out at Hull KR

Hull KR fans celebrate being promoted to the Super League. Picture by Simon Hulme

The stand-off started for the Championship club in Saturday’s 12-6 Qualifiers win over Widnes Vikings having been absent since June with a broken foot.

Abdull, on a season-long loan from Hull FC, showed some nice touches but conceded he thought Chris Atkin – recently bought from Swinton Lions – may have been preferred alongside Jamie Ellis by head coach Tim Sheens.

“Obviously, firstly I was delighted to get picked in the team,” said the 21-year-old.

“At the start of the week I wasn’t even sure if I would.

“Tim said it would be a harsh decision either way as I’d been training really hard during my rehab and Chris had been playing really well while I’d been out.

“But that’s what he gets paid for and hopefully he made the right choice. We got the result and I feel like I did okay.

“Me and Jamie were a bit clunky but we haven’t played together for 12 weeks so I’m just really happy we’re up and with my own performance. We did just enough to get over Widnes.”

Abdull – who wouldn’t comment on where his future will be in 2018 – revealed he did not initally realise Rovers had even secured promotion.

He said: “I didn’t even know. I was one who wasn’t sure what score the Warrington-Leigh game actually was.

“But then our staff came on and told us Warrington had won, we were up and then it just sort of shot through.

“You saw the buzz at the end of the game and I just feel like it was the fans who got us home.

“It was a really tight game, probably not really exciting to watch as a neutral but to be part of it and the passion from both teams and those fans was great.”

On his time at KR, he admitted: “It’s been brilliant. At the beginning of the year I was a little bit taken aback by the initial loan move but the Rovers staff and players really embraced me.

“I lost the weight I needed to which was partly me and partly the staff. But I feel I just got in a really good place mentally and started playing well. As my confidence got better I feel like the performances were as well.

“The injury was a bit of a setback but I was determined to get fit for the pivotal games – and the one I got back for is the one where we got promoted so I’m just delighted really.”