Castleford lose again at Huddersfield as pressure mounts on Andy Last

The pressure on Huddersfield head coach Ian Watson was eased as they battled to a 20-4 victory over a struggling Castleford Tigers outfit at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Both teams came into the game in poor form, with Castleford only picking up four points so far this season as they looked to pull away from the winless Wakefield Trinity at the foot of the table.

Huddersfield made a fast start as Gareth Widdop put down a high kick, allowing Tui Lolohea to pick up and pass out wide to Esan Marsters who dummied his way over after just three minutes.

Two Jake Connor penalty goals put the hosts 10-0 up, with the next try not arriving until the 28-minute mark as the visitors got back into the game through Alex Mellor’s four-pointer.

The conversion was missed with the Giants going into the sheds with a slender 10-4 advantage.

The first try of the second half was always going to be crucial and it was the Giants who got it as consecutive penalties led to Marsters creating an opening for Innes Senior to touch down.

Huddersfield had momentum now and they added another try five minutes later as a flowing attacking move from close range allowed Kevin Naiqama to nip through a gap and score the hosts fourth try of the night.

Connor’s conversion took the score out to 20-4 and that’s how the score stayed despite Castleford’s best efforts, with the 4,206 crowd at the John Smith’s Stadium witnessing the Giants fifth win of the season.

It leaves Castleford with only two league wins from 14 league matches this season, as the pressure on Andy Last starts to build with the threat of relegation still there for the 2017 League Leaders’ Shield winners.