IT won’t win any awards for game of the season, but Saints’ 11-8 win at Huddersfield was built on character – even if it did need the late arrival of Luke Walsh to seal the spoils.

The often awful, wet and blustery conditions were always going to dictate the sort of game it was going to be, with free-flowing football scarce for the 80 minutes.

A match fought out in the middle, littered with penalties and at times, particularly early on in the piece, run by Huddersfield play-maker Danny Brough saw Saints hanging on at times in the first half.

The Giants – who have a remarkably good record at home to Saints – monopolised the early play with the varied uses of Brough’s boot yielding a succession of repeat sets.

That Saints’ defence was only breached one was a testament to the team’s resolution in the face of that pressure.

However, that probably made Jordan Turner’s complete miss on his opposite number Leroy Cudjoe six minutes in even more galling.

Saints almost posted a quick response when Jon Wilkin’s steepling kick hit the upright and then bounced off the cross bar before bobbling behind the tryline.

Alas, Tommy Makinson could not control the ball and the bounced away.

That raid was very much against the run of play, with Giants turning the screw at the other end with Brough tormenting the wings with some potent attacking kicks.

The closeness of the match – and what was at stake with both teams losing twice over Easter – saw it become something of a fractious affair.

Wilkin was twice spoken to for high tackles as he tried to stamp his authority on the game.

As much as he was the pantomime villain for the sparse, but vocal home contingent, at first look there appeared to be nothing untoward about the second of those tackles which simply looked like a good hard shot to dislodge the ball.

Moments later Kyle Amor was spoken to by the referee after a skirmish with Danny Brough – the latter converting the subsequent penalty.

Slowly but surely Saints began to get some territory with Wilkin’s ball-dislodging challenge and James Roby’s 40/20 tipping the balance of play a little more in their favour.

The pressure finally told a minute before the break when Turner powered through from close range to atone for his earlier error, with Travis Burns’ conversion sending the teams in all-square.

Saints will have settled for that given the pattern of first half play, especially with have the ace of Walsh still to play.

The second half continued in a similar vein to the first period with Ukuma Ta’ai spoken to for his late tackle on Wilkin that seemed to incense the Saints skipper.

Burns missed the goal, but made no mistake five minutes later.

Walsh slipped on to rapturous applause from the large travelling contingent – and he was returning to a ground where he has some form for crucial one pointers.

And so it would be.

After Mose Masoe was yellow carded for his late challenge on Jamie Ellis, Brough levelled from in front of the sticks.

But being down to 12 men brought the best out of Saints and before the ten minute period had lapsed they were back in front.

As calm as anything, Walsh called for the ball 40 metres out and although not the cleanest of strikes it went straight between the uprights.

The value of that was priceless – particularly given Brough’s ability to poach the drop goals had he needed to.

Burns’ penalty nine minutes from time meant that the Giants had to search for a try.

Although Saints were never comfortable – particularly since they proceeded to spill ball in their own half early in the sets – they had the wherewithal to hang on.

Brough had one last throw, a minute from time, but his kick wide to the wing saw the touch judge’s flag raised to rule out a try.

So Saints held on for their first win at the John Smith’s Stadium since 2010 – and nobody was as pleased and relieved as Walsh who jigged with delight as he made a beeline for his family in the away end after the final hooter.

Walsh rightly took applause for his first game since that horrendous injury in July, but there were some heroic performers for Saints.

Kyle Amor anchored the pack and fellow prop Alex Walmsley's carries were immense, and really got Saints moving forward.

In between them, scrum wise, James Roby showed his fine display of tools while Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook brought real energy.

although skipper Wilkin did not come up with the match winning plays, it was his determined lead midway through the half that helped stop the afternoon's headlines being written by Danny Brough instead of Luke Walsh.