After snatching defeat from the jaws of victory last weekend, Wakefield Trinity parted company with their coach Chris Chester and welcomed Willie Poching to the helm as interim coach for the daunting visit of the high-flying Warrington Wolves.

While a win would be enough to gain the Wolves more points than St Helens they would still trail the defending champions on win percentage while a win for Trinity would see them up a place over the Salford Red Devils and snapping at the heels of the Huddersfield Giants.

Everyone expected a Warrington win with Wakefield being given a ten-point start in the coupon but sometimes a change of coach has an immediate bounce effect.

It was Trinity who had the early pressure and forced an early drop out and although Warrington edged back into the game the gifted the ball to Tom Johnstone who sprinted downfield for a breakaway try to give Trinity the lead which was improved thanks to the boot of Mason Lino. It had been the perfect start for Willie Poching’s side.

Wakefield went in for their second on twenty-three when David Fifita picked a perfect line to push off a couple of tacklers and steam over the line. Lino added the conversion for a 12-0 lead, the Wolves just not at the party.

It was a below par performance from Warrington but that was partly due to Wakefield not allowing them to play their usual flowing game and when Tom Lineham looked to have gone in on thirty-nine the try was ruled out for a shepherd by Connor Wrench.

It was an impressive first half for Trinity, despite Jacob Miller putting a drop goal effort wide on the half time hooter, but they needed another forty of the same to secure the win.

It was a great start to the second half for Wakefield when on forty-seven Jay Pitts broke the line before offloading to Max Jowitt who managed to get a hand free to feed Lino to cross. The half back added the extras for an 18-0 lead.

On fifty, Warrington were punished for a high tackle when Lino kicked the penalty goal to extend the lead to four tries. The Wolves afternoon was getting worse.

The Wolves finally registered points on fifty-seven with George Williams stepping off both feet to bamboozle the Wakefield defence to score. Stefan Ratchford added the conversion for 6-20.

An uncharacteristic poor pass from Ratchford handed the ball to Lee Kershaw who broke downfield and avoided the defenders for an eight metre try. Lino added the conversion for 26-6.

Warringtons second came on sixty-six with Blake Austin going in for try on the last tackle after a weaving break from Josh Charnley engineered the position. Ratchford couldn’t add the extras from the touchline and it seemed it was too little and too late for the Wolves.

But it’s a fool who write off the Warrington Wolves.

Jake Mamo was the beneficiary of a Walker break when he took a long pass to bust through the Wakefield line and when Ratchford added the conversion the visitors trailed by 16-26 with ten minutes remaining.

The Wolves went straight in for their fourth try to get them back within a try of the win as Charnley found a way through for a score in the corner with the winger improving the angle for Ratchford to add the extra two via one of the uprights. The margin now down to four points and it looked as though there was only one winner.

A late penalty to Wakefield was kicked by Lino for a 28-22 win with a minute left on the clock, much to the relief of the home fans.

Somehow the home side managed to hold on and take a crucial win, against all the odds, and despite looking out on their feet in the dying minutes. At 20-0 they looked like they were cruising to the win, but a late Warrington rally almost gave the Wolves the victory. A great start to Willie Poching’s interim coaching career and an afternoon for celebration at Belle Vue.

Wakefield Trinity: Jowitt, Johnstone (T), Arundel, Senior, Kershaw (T), Lino (T, 6G), Miller, Arona, Walker, Tanginoa, Pitts, Ashurst, Westerman. Subs: Fifita (T), Battye, Kay, Aydin.

Warrington Wolves: Ratchford (3G), Lineham, Mamo (T), Wrench, Charnley (T), Williams (T), Widdop, Hill, Walker, Cooper, Currie, King, Davis. Subs: Austin (T), Ashton, Akauola, Burgess.

Half-Time: 12-0.

Full-Time: 28-22.

Referee: Marcus Griffiths.

Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 10-0, 12-0 : HT : 16-0, 18-0, 20-0, 20-4, 20-6, 24-6, 26-6, 26-10, 26-14, 26-16, 26-20, 26-22, 28-22 : FT.