Hull FC 14 Huddersfield Giants 30: Jekyll and Hyde hosts hand play-off initiative back to Wakefield Trinity

Their maddening inconsistency reared its head again as they handed the initiative back to Wakefield Trinity in the play-off race.

Fresh from watching Trinity beat Leeds Rhinos to reclaim sixth place, the Airlie Birds were expected to return serve against a team with little to play for.

But the favourites tag continues to weigh heavy on this Hull side – and that could be the difference between securing a play-off spot and falling short in the final reckoning.

John Cartwright's team have put pride back in the badge but their record against struggling sides shows they still have a long way to go.

The Black and Whites have now suffered two defeats to Huddersfield this season, in addition to a narrow win in a game they should have lost in the opening month.

Throw in last month's home loss to Castleford Tigers and it is clear Hull's biggest obstacle is the burden of expectation.

With a one-point deficit to make up and seven rounds still remaining, they are far from out of the running.

However, a record of one home victory in 12 months does not offer much in the way of encouragement with five matches still to come at the MKM Stadium.

Huddersfield, for their part, produced arguably their best performance of the season to provide the perfect response to their drubbing by Wakefield.

After hearing some home truths in the aftermath, the Giants delivered a display full of grit, control and purpose to restore some pride.

Luke Robinson's side may be out of the play-off picture but this result was a reminder of the quality still within their ranks and what they are capable of when they get the basics right and nail their execution.

Still smarting from shipping eight tries against Trinity, the Giants took encouragement from an early defensive stint on their own line.

Huddersfield's edge defence held firm to deny Harvey Barron and Davy Litten before the visitors showcased their attacking threat at the other end.

After getting the Giants within range with a 40/20 that outfoxed Jordan Rapana, the unpredictable Tui Lolohea provided the pass that gave Adam Swift the chance to produce a flying finish against his former club.

George Flanagan – recalled in place of the injury-hit Niall Evalds – nailed the touchline conversion to deepen the unease among a home crowd all too used to fearing the worst.

Hull are made of sterner stuff under Cartwright and their immediate response was positive.

A lapse of discipline by Huddersfield invited the hosts in and they scored from the penalty, Litten holding onto the ball long enough to draw in Jacob Gagai and put Martin over in the corner.

Jack Charles sent his touchline conversion attempt wide but the Airlie Birds had a foothold in the game.

It quickly unravelled, though, as the Giants seized the initiative before half-time.

The second try could be traced back to a typically energetic kick return from Flanagan.

Huddersfield won a penalty for offside on the next play and turned territory into points for the second time in the game after taking advantage of hesitant defence.

Matt Frawley slipped on the last tackle but had the time to regain his footing and send through a grubber kick that was finished by Joe Greenwood.

Flanagan added the extras and it soon got worse for the Black and Whites against the run of play.

Jake Bibby rushed up to intercept Aidan Sezer's pass and although he was unsuccessful, he did enough to force Rapana into an error and picked up the pieces to race away for a 60-metre try.

When Flanagan maintained his perfect record from the tee to send the Giants into half-time with a commanding lead, Hull faced a serious test of their play-off credentials.

The Airlie Birds left the field to a smattering of boos but were welcomed back with a rousing rendition of 'Old Faithful' and channelled that energy into a positive start to the second period.

However, much to the frustration of the home supporters, they came away empty-handed.

Barron appeared to have given Hull a lifeline when he flew over in the corner, only for the video referee to rule that he planted the ball on the whitewash.

Huddersfield are notoriously poor frontrunners but they saw off the danger before hitting the Black and Whites with another sucker punch.

Flanagan – fresh from being involved in a flashpoint with Jed Cartwright – was given time by backtracking defenders and took advantage with the help of a dummy.

Hull, who saw Rapana leave the field with a concussion, gave themselves a glimmer of hope when Martin slid over for his second try but it was quickly extinguished by the fired-up Giants.

Jack Ashworth came up with an error from the restart and he was punished by a strong finish from Lolohea.

Martin had the last word with a scintillating long-range try after exchanging passes with Litten from Sezer's kick – but the afternoon belonged to Huddersfield as they dealt a hammer blow to Hull's top-six hopes.

Hull FC: Hardaker, Barron, Rapana, Litten, Martin, Charles, Sezer, Ese'ese, Cust, Knight, Cartwright, Ashworth, Aydin. Substitutes: Briscoe, Bourouh, Eseh, Watts.

Tries: Martin (27, 62, 72)

Goals: Charles 1/3

Huddersfield Giants: Flanagan, Swift, Bibby, Milne, Gagai, Lolohea, Frawley, Rogers, Woolford, Powell, Rushton, Greenwood, Cudjoe. Substitutes: Burgess, Golding, English, King.

Tries: Swift (15), Greenwood (35), Bibby (38), Flanagan (56), Lolohea (66)

Goals: Flanagan 5/5

Referee: Tom Grant.