A bottom of the table clash saw the Huddersfield Giants host Wakefield Trinity with both sides desperate for a win which would ease them closer to Super League safety and with Trinity knowing that a win, by enough points, would lift them into ninth place in the table.

Wakefield were boosted by the return of star winger Tom Johnstone after a long lay off through injury complications with Liam Kay moving to hooker while the Giants are still suffering an injury crisis and had Ashall-Bott starting at full back with Russell and Pryce in the halves.

The Giants were the pre-game favourites for the win with the bookies giving the visitors a ten-point start on the coupon, but Huddersfield would not take anything for granted and knew that Wakefield would have targeted this as a must win game.

Ollie Russell was sin-binned within the first sixty seconds of the game for a professional foul, not the perfect start for the Giants. Fast hands from Wakefield, making the most of the penalty, saw Reece Lyne over for the opening try. Ryan Hampshire added the conversion for 6-0.

Within seconds of the restart Trinity were in again through Hampshire after a brilliant Max Jowitt break. Hampshire again added the conversion from wide for a 12-0 lead, the Giants stunned but Wakefield enjoying themselves.

Huddersfield failed to recover after conceding a penalty when Joe Westerman got the ball for a walk in from a couple of metres and when Hampshire added his third goal of the afternoon it was 18-0 in as many minutes.

The Giants regained some composure thanks to a Jake Wardle palm pass into the hands of Louis Senior to cross after beating his brother down the win. The conversion from Russell went wide of the uprights.

Ollie Russell took a big hit on twenty-six and after some on-field treatment he had to be helped from the pitch.

A brain explosion from Innes Senior saw the Wakefield loanee fumble the ball in his own in-goal for Sam Wood to pounce and score. Pryce kicked the conversion with Russell off the field, the Giants now within eight points at 10-18 at half time in what had become a bruising encounter between these two fierce local rivals.

First blood in the second half went to the Giants when Jermaine McGillvary went over in the right corner after the ball was kept alive through hands by the home side. Pryce was unable to convert from the touchline, but the lead was down to just four points, the Giants right back in the game.

The Giants were level on sixty-one with McGillvary going in for his second try of the half off a Wood pass. Pryce was close to converting from the touchline, but the ball drifted just wide, the two sides locked up with eighteen minutes remaining.

Huddersfield hit the front for the first time on sixty-nine with Jake Wardle catching a gentle kick through and sliding over the line. Pryce was unable to add the conversion, the kick wide of the posts.

It took the Giants seventy minutes to reverse an awful start which had seen them trailing by eighteen points early on. They dug deep and managed to turn their fortunes around, thanks to a few mistakes from the Wakefield Trinity side, and keeping the visitors scoreless in the second half with strong defence. It’s the Giants who have moved themselves further from the relegation position, and Wakefield who will still be a little nervous in case there is a late surge from the Leigh Centurions.

Huddersfield Giants: Ashall-Bott, McGillvary (2T), Cudjoe, Wardle (T), Senior (T), Russell (SB on 1), Pryce (G), Wilson, Peats, Yates, McQueen, Jones, Trout. Subs: Wood (T), Hewitt, Peteru, Greenwood.

Wakefield Trinity: Jowitt, Johnstone, Arundel, Lyne (T), Senior, Hampshire (T, 3G), Miller, Fifita, Kay, Green, Tanginoa, Ashurst, Westerman (T). Subs: Arona, Battye, Batchelor, Wood.

Half-Time: 10-18.

Full-Time: 22-18.

Referee: James Child.

Score Progression: (SB), 0-4, 0-6, 0-10, 0-12, 0-16, 0-18, 4-18, 8-18, 10-18 : HT : 14-18, 18-18, 22-18 : FT.