Free-scoring Saints overcome Trinity banana skin to stay in touch

Although they still face a massive challenge to over-haul any one of the top four, this result combined with the way the weekend’s games panned out gives them hope.

It turned into what is now a typical high scoring Wakefield clash, although Saints will have kicked themselves at times for not really putting their foot on their hosts’ throats.

There were plenty of plus points – starting from the men in the middle with Kyle Amor having a storming game against his former club.

Not only did he do the hard grafting in the middle, but he ended up playing a major part in Matty Fleming’s outstanding late try that eventually sealed it once and for all.

After one final outstanding break from James Roby, supported by Morgan Knowles, Amor shot on to the ball in the centre spot and for a second it could have been Eric Grothe – the hirsute former Kangaroo legend – motoring down the flank. He flicked the ball wide for Fleming to round off a wonder move.

That was the icing on the cake for Amor, who had good back up from the other members of the front row union with Greg Richards being rewarded for some more animated performances in past two weeks with a well-taken try – his first for the club.

Saints may have thrilled their travelling fans with some exhilarating passages of play, with Cunningham’s men offloading for fun.

They also will have had a few of them biting their nails as they never really put clear blue water between them and their hosts – something that has cost Saints at Belle Vue in the past.

In fact after winger Ben Jones-Bishop try in the 66th minute the teams would have been level had Liam Finn kicked the conversion, but late scores from Jordan Turner and Fleming settled it.

Wakefield had all the early ball from repeat sets and penalties and from the latter lively stand off Jacob Miller jinked his way over for the first of his three tries to open the scoring after four minutes.

Saints soon got their feet under the table when centre Mark Percival collected Jonny Lomax's pass to cross.

And they hit the front when prop Richards’s barnstorming run meant there will be no end of season forfeit for him.

It was soon level again when flying winger Tom Johnstone collected full-back Max Jowitt's cut-out pass to dash in at the corner. Johnstone has been one of the finds of the season – but his afternoon was cut short in the first half.

Saints then looked like they had got an iron grip of proceedings when Lomax interjected into the line with his telescopic arm reaching out to place the ball over the whitewash.

Five minutes later and Lomax was in again, superbly rounding off after Amor and Roby offloaded, Jordan Turner supported to send the full back in to complete a 60 metre score.

Percival converted both to open up a 12-point lead, but annoyingly they spilled a grubber kick on the last tackle from Miller, and the stand off added his second try as the half time hooter sounded.

Finn made it 22-16 but once Saints restored a two-score advantage when Jon Wilkin sent Amor through a hole for substitute Morgan Knowles to back up for Saints’ fifth try.

But once again they could not shake Trinity off with Alex Walmsley gifting Miller his hat-trick from half-way.

It became you score-we score with outstanding England hooker Roby showing pace and determination to get off the deck for Saints' sixth try approaching the hour mark.

Big man David Fifita, who was a handful all afternoon, sucked in four men for Liam Finn to exploit and then winger Jones-Bishop cut the Saints lead to two points.

But a direct run to the line from Turner, who somehow forced his way past a phalanx of defenders on the line proved to be crucial.

Although Wilkin skewed his drop-goal attempt wide, Saints had a better finale up their sleeves with Fleming’s wonder try which will do much for the team’s morale.