Salford Red Devils v Hull FC: Simon Grix lays down challenge to improving Black and Whites
Hull FC's away clash with Salford Red Devils will show how far the Super League strugglers have come, according to interim boss Simon Grix.
The Black and Whites remain locked in a battle with London Broncos to avoid the wooden spoon after winning just two of their 15 games but performances have improved under Grix.
Either side of an embarrassing defeat at basement outfit London, Hull have beaten Leeds Rhinos and lost by a single score on three occasions.
Grix knows his team are only one bad performance away from undoing their hard work.
"That's the challenge for us now," he said.
"We had three games where we showed improvement and a little bit of consistency.
"We dropped off at London and have had three games where we've gone alright again and have managed to pick up some points.
"Now it's a case of whether we can go more than three. I'm sure we can but we're going to have to be really good this week to take anything away from Salford."
Before the break, the Red Devils completed the double over St Helens to cement their place in the top six.
Grix is not banking on distracted minds in the home ranks amid ongoing speculation over the future of head coach Paul Rowley.
"Salford are a very good team," said Grix.
"They're quite aggressive in how they defend and are very expansive in how they play with the ball.
"They're a form team. There's a lot of chat around the coaching situation but they play a nice brand, their transition is really good and if you're not on it, they can catch you.
"We can expect to be challenged quite a lot this week and have made that very clear while coming up with a plan to counter that."