SAINTS suffered a heart-breaking late defeat at home to Hull with Mark Sneyd's 40 metre drop goal being the only difference between the sides after a gripping 80 minutes.

The Hull half back succeeded just a minute after Saints’ Theo Fages had seen his effort flap wide at the end of a blood-and-thunder encounter.

Ultimately, Hull, with five pairs of fresher legs returning after missing Monday and with a marginally better second half game management took the spoils despite a terrific defensive effort most of the time from the men in the red vee.

The third game of the Easter period tends to produce tired, poor quality and low intensity affairs – not this one.

There was plenty going on for the full 80 and Saints will be left to rue the odd bad call, wrong option or a mistake that was magnified in importance in the end.

Ultimately a missed goal kick from Jack Owens, just on half time, proved to be the difference on the scoreboard.

Owens had only assumed the duties after Luke Walsh had started limping – and that may have been a factor in the Australian’s poor kick that went out on the full from half way that put Saints under the cosh ahead of Hull’s first score.

And there was a list of other points upon which the game turned; had Joe Greenwood not suffered a head knock and had to leave the field prematurely who knows how Saints would have shaped.

And had Jon Wilkin not gone high, late in the tackle count, maybe Hull would not have been able to crank up the pressure that eventually led to their match-levelling try on the hour mark.

And after Matty Dawson was held barely inches short of the line in the corner, a much better kick from Walsh was needed to get a reward from a rare second half spell of pressure.

Losing to a drop goal was a cruel way for it to end for a side that had run its blood to water.

Saints, with Fages buzzing in the halves, started well and the Frenchman’s low grubber was attacked by Joe Greenwood who grounded for his fifth try of the campaign.

Walsh slotted the extras and Saints piled forward from a penalty leading to the ball being flashed right, only for the defensive pressure to force Jordan Turner into throwing a bad pass forward.

Hull hit back, and were allowed to pile on some pressure after Wilkin was adjudged to have knocked on from a stabbed Sneyd kick.

Sneyd, who tormented Saints all night, aimed his last tackle kick towards the edge of the post padding with hooker Danny Houghton being alert to the rebound for the score.

After withstanding some Hull pressure, Saints conjured up a try from nothing when a strong run from Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook allowed Walsh to hoist the ball into the air wickedly to the left, with Turner taking the bouncing ball, shipping it out to Fages who floated a beautiful long pass for Dawson to fly in at the corner.

Owens converted from the touchline and that should have given him some confidence.

It certainly put a spring in Saints’ step and after more pressure, a killer long pass Walsh, and then Wilkin sent Turner showing some real strength to power over.

At 16-6 Saints looked like they were taking a 10-point cushion into the break, alas a penalty for offside allowed the opposition to score what now seems like a customary pre-half time try.

Naughton slipped past Shannon McDonnell at the corner to peg it back to a one score lead.

By rights Saints should have countered that with a play on the stroke of half time when Walsh intercepted, and although not running at full speed, was tryline-bound before being dropped with a high tackle.

Owens, who had slotted one off the touchline earlier, skewed an eminently more kickable one to the left of the posts – a critical miss in the outcome of the game.

For the second week running, Saints failed to score a try in the second half – only this week they did not score at all.

Having bossed most of the first half, it was Saints’ turn to be under the pump from the off in the second half.

It took a big tackle from McDonnell on the fleet-footed Hull full back Jamie Shaul after he had used his pace to leave Turner grabbing shadows.

Hull were piling it on, and only a knock on from Carlos Tuimavave let Saints off the hook during another intense spell defending the line.

That volume of big defence, from a depleted and tired team, was always going to bite but nevertheless it was disappointing when it did as Naughton slipped a couple of tackles on the Saints right to ship the ball inside for the supporting Yeaman to romp over.

Sneyd slotted the two to level matters, and Saints desperately needed a break, a mistake, a penalty or a stroke of luck to get some ball in good position.

Alas, when they did finally have a set, they were pinged for obstruction in their first significant raid of the second half.

They got another crack after Sika Manu hit Fages high, prompting the rare intervention of the touch judge.

On Saints pressed and Dawson just did not have the wherewithal to force the ball over the line, but just when it looked like Saints were building some pressure Walsh used a 2-iron instead of the putter and the chance was gone.

Hull blew another chance to hit the front when Sneyd snatched at his own kick with the line begging, but Saints looked as though they were going to make the most of that let off.

A thunderous tackle from Luke Thompson, chasing a Fages kick, earned another drop out.

On the last Saints young half Fages, in his third start in the red vee, saw half a chance on the last but was stopped short.

And five minutes from time the same player hit his drop goal attempt wide on 75 minutes; Sneyd, alas, had no such trouble.

Sensible game management from Houghton run the clock down, leaving Saints to produce some off the cuff, frenetic plays to try and pierce the line from deep.

But there was no way through – the game had gone away from them at the death and left them no time to respond, but the effort this time around could not be faulted.

Although it will come as no consolation to the players trudging off disconsolate at the end but the last time Saints were sunk by a late Hull drop goal at home was in 2006 when Daniel Anderson’s team went on to win the lot. We can live in hope!

Saints: McDonnell; Owens, Peyroux, Turner, Dawson; Fages, Walsh; Walmsley, Roby, Savelio, Greenwood, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Wilkin. Subs: Burns, Amor, Richards, Thompson.

Hull FC: Shaul; Michaels, Fonua, Yeaman, Naughton; Tuimavave, Sneyd; Taylor, Houghton, Watts, Minichiello, Manu, Ellis. Subs: Thompson, Hadley, Bowden, Pritchard.