SAINTS produced a top-drawer defensive display complemented by two cracking tries to secure both points on Humberside and consolidate their place in the top four.

With Luke Walsh injured and Jon Wilkin banned, Saints set out with another half back pairing with Dougie Charnock starting in the halves with Travis Burns.

They controlled most of the first half, assisted by James Roby and Burns’ shrewd kicking game.

In deadlock for the first quarter, Saints opened the scoring on 20 minutes with a bewildering passage of play on the last tackle.

Drawing inspiration from Chris Joynt’s famous ‘Wide to West’ try Saints played Harlem Globetrotters football, keeping the ball alive with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook’s kick back into the middle of the field setting the tone.

A further kick wide, caught by Adam Swift, with Jordan Turner then sending supporting full back Shannon McDonnell streaking over for the try to ensure that it will be a passage of play to remember.

Dougie Charnock goaled and then added a penalty and Saints looked well in control.

However, back-to-back penalties allowed Hull back in five minutes before the break and former Saint Leon Pryce strode through, holding off two tacklers to score.

Marc Sneyd cut the deficit to 8-6 at half time, but Saints nudged further ahead shortly after the restart.

Saints’ defence was immense as they harassed the Hull ball carriers and kickers, but they could do nothing to stop Jordan Abdull crossing on the last tackle on 58 minutes. Sneyd missed the goal, so that locked the scores at 10-10.

Saints struck next when Burns’ last tackle kick was caught in midair by Tommy Makinson and he managed to get the ball down.

And to put the icing on the cake he shrugged off the catcalls from the vociferous home support to arrow the touchline conversion between the uprights.

It was a one-score lead Saints defended as if their lives depended on it and twice Makinson plucked a dangerous Hull kick out of the air to foil tries.

There was a massive tackle from Josh Jones and Mark Flanagan to deny another on the line as the Black and Whites poured forward.

Saints survived the onslaught and with the right game management took the sting out of it in the closing minutes with Turner’s kick to the corner.

When Saints next got the ball back Turner poked the ball over for a one-pointer to spark jubilation among the travelling fans and provoke an entirely predicatable crescendo from the home support.

Not the prettiest performance, but nevertheless a good win for Saints in which they needed to show plenty of character.

Saints' seven-point margin was not enough to overhaul the eight point deficit from Easter Monday so Hull take the Steve Prescott Cup by a point.