Widnes Vikings v Hull FC: Lee Radford adamant Airlie Birds have what it takes to compete with Super League's best

Hull FC's Steve Michaels scores a try, but it couldn't prevent defeat for the Airlie Birds against Caslteford Tigers.
Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe. — Hull FC's Steve Michaels scores a try, but it couldn't prevent defeat for the Airlie Birds against Caslteford Tigers. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe.

HULL FC head coach Lee Radford insists his side are a 'top team' despite recent results suggesting otherwise.

Thy head to early Super League leaders Widnes Vikings tonight looking to avoid a third successive loss having suffered back-to-back narrow defeats at home to Castleford Tigers and Wigan Warriors.

“We’ve played two top sides and we’re a top team,” said Radford, who will bring in 20-year-old Jordan Abdull after losing former Great Britain stand-off Leon Pryce to a knee injury.

“I watched the Wigan game back time and time again and we deserved to get something out of it. It was two individual misses and an error coming out of our own end against Wigan.

Hull FC coach, Lee Radford. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

“It’s very difficult to fix that up as a coach.

“You can be repetitive in tackling technique and approach into contact and hopefully that becomes their muscle memory and they use that on the field.”

Widnes, however, will sense they too can target Hull’s recent frailty – letting winning positions slip. They have won four of their five games so far this season and have already proved they are no longer so reliant on their controversial artificial i-Pitch.

Radford maintains that will not be an issue for his side, though.

“The pitch is a hard track and we play on plenty of those in the summer,” he said.

“There is no longer the unknown on that field anymore. It is what it is.

“Initially it was a bit of a fad and nobody really knew what to expect from the turf. The only big difference I see is the bounce of the ball sometimes.”

Radford hopes to have destructive Kiwi second-row Pritchard back after he missed the Wigan defeat with a shoulder injury.

Abdull, meanwhile, made a decent impression during 18 games last term and the coach is confident the Academy product can step up this evening.

“I’m more than confident that he can not only do a job but also excel in that role,” said Radford.

“Towards the back end of last year he played some really nice rugby. Hopefully he can pick off where he left off last year.

“He was okay in pre-season without chopping any trees down. He was aware he had a competition on for the six shirt and I thought Leon just pipped him in pre-season.

“But if Leon is no good there is an opportunity for Jordan right there.”