No regrets from Hull or Pitts as the good times roll

Just like with Manchester United, their illustrious counterpart in football, many would argue it does not get much better than playing for the Super League champions.

More often than not, a departure from Headingley perhaps sees an individual believing his career is destined for a downwards trajectory.

However, Hull FC’s Jay Pitts insists his transfer last year was the best thing that could have happened for his own prospects.

The young back-row still had six months remaining on his Leeds contract when given chance to sign a two-and-a-half year deal with the Airlie Birds last Easter.

It was at the height of the East Yorkshire club’s injury crisis – assistant coach Lee Radford was forced out of retirement to do a couple of stints up front – and Pitts’s timely arrival was welcome. But he was a lot more than a stop-gap with Hull coach Peter Gentle acknowledging his recruit was a work in progress blessed with untapped talent.

Tonight, as in-form Hull prepare to face Leeds at KC Stadium, Pitts has undoubtedly begun to prove that having started six of the last eight games and missing only two all year.

Importantly, they have recorded seven wins in those last eight fixtures to turn around a season that was threatening to stall.

Yet while all the attention has been on a more revered second-row – captain Gareth Ellis – influencing Hull’s fortunes since his recent return from injury, his colleague has quietly been providing plenty of cement for those building blocks too.

Operating at loose forward of late and even shifting up to prop, his versatility has been invaluable in a pack that, for all its recent success, has still been missing goal-kicking England back-row Danny Tickle, ex-Hull KR captain Ben Galea and former Super League young player of the year Joe Westerman.

All in all, the 23 year-old who first emerged at hometown Wakefield Trinity before Leeds forked out a fee for him in 2009, is pretty satisfied with his decision.

“I could have stayed at Leeds and probably pushed on and tried to win a regular place for myself there,” said Pitts, all the time knowing tyro second-row Stevie Ward was making rapid progress at Headingley.

“But I think it was time for that change. It’s worked out best for me and my family. They’re enjoying seeing me play and everyone is pleased with how it has gone. It has paid off.

“Peter has given me the opportunity to play longer minutes and I am enjoying it.

“It’s been a real confidence boost. I’ve still got a lot to improve on but I’m pretty happy with my form and hopefully they’ll stick with me and my confidence can stay up there.”

When he joined Hull last March he was quoted saying: “Leeds is a massive club but Hull FC feels just as big if not bigger.”

That seemed a bit far-fetched but Pitts explains: “I’m not saying it’s bigger than Leeds at all. Leeds have done a lot of great stuff and are a massive club.

“But Hull are on the right way to winning Grand Finals themselves with the huge fan base here, great environment and work ethic.”

Leeds, with forwards Jamie Peacock, Carl Ablett and Ward all injured, could probably do with Pitts’s abilities tonight.

Instead he is plotting a rare fourth successive defeat for the champions, but is not being lulled into any false sense of security.

“We’re not reading anything into that,” says Pitts. “We need to be on the ball with everything as, give Leeds an inch, they take a mile. We must be really good.

“They gave the leaders Wigan a real close game at Magic Weekend on Sunday and actually probably deserved to win.

“They’ve so many players who test all parts of your game. You cannot switch off for a second.”

Hull, of course, were greatly fortunate themselves to win in Manchester last weekend.

They benefitted from that incorrect video referee call which saw Chris Green – three yards offside when Danny Houghton launched a high kick – score a try that snatched the derby 22-16 against rivals Hull KR.

Pitts recalled: “I was just dawdling along when that happened as I thought I was offside when the kick went up so I didn’t chase as hard. When Greeny caught it we all just went mad and prayed it was given.

“We’re not happy though. Far from it. It wasn’t all smiles afterwards. We didn’t play well.

“We’ve had a hell of a lot of work to do this week and we know Leeds won’t let us off.”

Pitts has, inadvertently, traced the career of Ellis, the 32-year-old England star who broke his foot in the warm-up before his Hull debut at Leeds on the season’s opening night.

“I was always just a year behind him,” he said. “I’ve sort of followed in his footsteps at Wakefield, then going to Leeds and now Hull, though I don’t think I could have gone to Wests Tigers like he did.

“It’s great to finally play with him. Growing up at Wakefield when I was on their scholarship, I watched Gaz a lot and have to admit it was a bit weird at first training alongside him here.

“But it’s a great honour to be playing with him now.”

Without Ellis, Hull were level 6-6 at half-time at Headingley back in February before ruthless Leeds pulled away to prosper 36-6.

But the hosts will argue they are now a different beast entirely which all contributes to making this one of the most fascinating clashes of the season so far.