Castleford Tigers 6 Wakefield Trinity 32: Willie Poching's inspired side end hoodoo to boost survival hopes

Wakefield had not tasted success against their West Yorkshire neighbours since February 2015, suffering 17 straight defeats to leave their long-suffering supporters wondering if the day would ever come.

It arrived on Friday night against all odds with Trinity rooted to the bottom of Super League and in real danger of dropping down to the Championship after losing their previous five matches.

By contrast, Castleford were riding high in fifth spot thanks to a run of five wins in six games - but Lee Radford's side failed to come up with the answers in the face of an inspired performance.

Buoyed by Toulouse Olympique's defeat to Hull FC, Wakefield never looked back after opening the scoring through Liam Hood.

Lewis Murphy stole the show with an outstanding two-try display that featured a vital last-ditch tackle, while Castleford-bound Jacob Miller made some important contributions.

There were heroic efforts across the park as Willie Poching's team delivered under immense pressure.

The 32-6 victory takes Trinity two points clear of Toulouse at the bottom and has the look of a season-defining result.

For Castleford, who like Wakefield came into the game with a host of players missing, it was a flat showing that will leave Radford concerned.

The Tigers had top-four aspirations heading into the match but are now looking over their shoulder in the race for the play-offs.

With the stakes high, it was a predictably cagey start with neither side able to carve out a clear-cut opportunity in the opening 15 minutes.

The Tigers got a good look at the Wakefield line after Mason Lino failed to gather Danny Richardson's kick but the chance came to nothing following an error by Paul McShane.

Similarly, Trinity turned the ball over cheaply close to the Castleford line after forcing Bureta Faraimo into touch.

Hood lit the blue touchpaper when he spun out of a poor attempt by George Griffin to touch down next to the posts.

It was an important contribution from a man whose participation appeared to be in doubt after picking up a knock during the warm-up.

Wakefield were a different team after Hood's opener as they went on to take a firm grip on the contest.

Recent signing Jamie Shaul was denied a try by the video referee but Murphy got the green light after picking Faraimo's pocket from Miller's high kick.

Lino added the extras from out wide to make it 12-0, a reward for Trinity's tenacity in the opening half an hour.

A shellshocked Castleford were unable to turn the tide, Joe Westerman summing up the mood with a bemused expression after being substituted.

A last-ditch effort from Jake Mamo stopped Murphy in his tracks after the Wakefield winger had pounced on a loose ball inside his own 20 and raced clear.

Murphy came to the rescue for Trinity at the other end, forcing Faraimo into touch with a superb try-saving tackle.

It proved to be a crucial intervention with Matty Ashurst crashing over two minutes before the break to spark joyous scenes in the away end.

Lino made no mistake from the tee to leave the travelling supporters in dreamland at half-time.

Wakefield's recent second-half form gave Castleford hope but Poching's men were in no mood to let the opportunity slip away.

After soaking up a period of pressure in the early stages of the half, Trinity turned defence into attack in the blink of an eye.

Richardson opted to kick with nothing on and was powerless to stop Miller giving the impressive Murphy a 90-metre run to the line.

The winger touched down in front of the delirious away fans to leave Wakefield on the brink of ending seven and a half years of hurt.

The visitors were not done there, a rampaging David Fifita dragging several defenders with him over the line after pouncing on an error by Jason Qareqare.

Lino maintained his perfect record from the tee to give Trinity a 30-0 lead, a barely believable scoreline given the history of the fixture and recent form.

Richardson got Castleford on the scoreboard with 20 minutes remaining after taking advantage of an error by Lino to finish his own kick - but the night belonged to Wakefield.

Lino knocked over a penalty after Richardson was caught out by the shot clock from a drop-out and Trinity rounded off a special evening by combining to drag Qareqare into his in-goal area, a moment celebrated with the vigour of a team that believe they are staying in Super League.

Castleford Tigers: Mamo, Olpherts, Fonua, Sutcliffe, Faraimo, Eden, Richardson, Griffin, McShane, Smith, Edwards, Milner, Westerman.

Substitutes: Watts, Lawler, Matagi, Qareqare.

Wakefield Trinity: Shaul, Kershaw, Hall, Gaskell, Murphy, Miller, Lino, Arona, Hood, Whitbread, Ashurst, Batchelor, Crowther.

Substitutes: Fifita, Bowden, Battye, Aydin.

Referee: Robert Hicks.