Challenge Cup reaction: Lee Radford prepares Hull FC final heroes for new challenge

The East Yorkshire club retained the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup with a thrilling 18-14 win over Wigan Warriors on Saturday.

They had waited 87 years to prosper at the national stadium but, remarkably, have now done so twice inside 12 months.

It was just the fifth Challenge Cup win in their entire history but the appetite of Radford – already cemented as a club legend – is far from sated.

He is desperate to see his side lift a maiden Super League title, too, a chance they squandered last year when, despite being top of Super League at this point, they fell away badly in the aftermath of their Wembley celebrations.

Currently, Hull are third but they head to second-placed Leeds Rhinos on Thursday in a crucial Super 8s contest.

They are three points adrift of their Yorkshire rivals with four games still to play so need a win to keep alive hopes of second place and a home semi-final.

FC will leave the KCOM Stadium on an open-top bus at 1.30pm this afternoon to weave their way towards another civic reception at Hull City Hall.

Last year, celebrations lasted well into Tuesday but Radford conceded that cannot happen again with the proximity of the Leeds game.

“After that (Monday) we will be focusing on Leeds,” he said.

“It is not a bigger challenge than the final, but it’s a different one.

“Thursday is difficult. I’m under no illusions. There’s the psychological emotions to deal with, too.

“We’ve had to play for 80 minutes against this Wigan side – we knew we’d have to – and there’s the physical challenge as well for Thursday.

“I know what Thursday is going to be, but this time around we will be better.

“We will be better prepared. We haven’t been great all year, but we’ve been great when we needed to be.

“If we can get in the top four – whether we are at home or away – we will be great.”

Radford has plenty of options to freshen his squad with the likes of Steve Michaels, Jordan Thompson and Brad Fash all being left out at Wembley.

However, he maintains he will name his strongest side and his Challenge Cup heroes will “back-up” in a bid to gain two crucial points.

Meanwhile, he conceded being “nervous” throughout Saturday’s game, not least the dramatic final stages.

He admitted they “dodged a bullet” when Wigan’s Tony Clubb had an effort controversially ruled out by video referee James Child as he thought it was a try.

Dominant Hull had impressively built an 18-10 lead in the third quarter but Joe Burgess got Wigan back in touching distance with his 73rd-minute effort.

The England winger then sprinted in with just 50 seconds to go but, to the relief of around 30,000 Hull fans in the stadium, referee Phil Bentham called it back for a forward pass.

Radford said: “I said I wanted an entertaining game – but not that entertaining!

“I wanted it in the bag a little bit earlier, but there were some phenomenal efforts.

“We went into our shell a bit with 10 minutes to go, were a bit reclusive, and played into their hands a bit.

“Wigan don’t go away and I never felt comfortable, but the scrambling defence was a great advertisement for the team.

“We had to scramble really hard together and that was the key.”

Radford paid tribute to Marc Sneyd, who won the Lance Todd Trophy – as man of the match – for a second successive year.

He said: “I am glad he is on our side. Look at the impact he has had on our club since he walked through the door. He’s had to face a lot of criticism, but if he is not winning people over now I don’t think he ever will.”

Wigan coach Shaun Wane said: “We had a chance at the end.

“Whether we deserved it or not I’m not sure.

“The way we started the second half – we had a 58 per cent completion rate in a Challenge Cup final and that’s not going to win it. We weren’t good enough.”

Challenge Cup final match report: Page 7