Coach Lee Radford bemused after Hull FC's capitulation against Warrington Wolves

Radford’s men conceded 14 tries to the Challenge Cup runners-up as they went down to a seventh straight defeat, only narrowly avoiding the club’s heaviest-ever loss, a 71-0 thrashing by Bradford at Odsal in 2005.

Radford agreed with his vice-captain Danny Houghton, who said: “We’re in a dark place. It’s embarrassing for us as a group. We’re ashamed.”

In a sombre post-match press conference, Radford said: “I wish I could explain it, it’s unbelievably disappointing, There’s a commitment to the supporters and a commitment to the 16 blokes you are lined up with to have a dig, but it’s clear from some of the efforts seen out there tonight that level probably doesn’t mean as much to some of them as it should do.”

With seven senior players injured, six of them certainly for the rest of the season, Radford admits he is restricted in his ability to ring the changes and concedes it will be new territory for him when he prepares the team for the visit of Castleford next Friday.

“It’s a new one to me, it’s alien,” he said. “It will be interesting. It’s not easy to get over, that’s for sure. We’ve five matches left and it’s either going to be the longest five weeks or one or two things can change.

“It looks like some of them are overjoyed when they are not selected, some of the young fellas, because of the relief they’re not in the firing line.

“Unfortunately there’s just nothing there to make those changes but, having said that, some of the senior blokes’ efforts tonight were questionable.”