Leigh Leopards survived a second-half scare to beat Hull FC and continue their strong run of form with Adrian Lam’s side now having won ten of their last twelve.
They’ll face a tougher test next week against Warrington Wolves, who beat Hull KR earlier on Saturday afternoon before Leigh beat Hull FC 32-22.
The Leopards took a 28-0 lead into the half and it looked as though they may top 50 points but the Black and Whites fought back, cutting the deficit to 28-16 with 20 minutes to go, before then trading tries and falling ten points shy of a famous comeback.
Speaking post-match on Sky Sports, Adrian Lam said: “A little bit nerve-wracking towards the back end of that, but we got through it.
“To be honest with you, at the start of the week, if we had won by one point here today, I would have been happy with that. I don’t want to look too much into it, I’m very pleased.”
He did concede that he would have preferred his side to kick on to aid their points difference whilst conceding that a scare such as that may even prepare them better for next week’s clash against Warrington Wolves.
“I think points for and against, it would have been nice to build on that half-time score there, but I think that pushes us into fifth spot.
“Like I said, it’s been a difficult couple of weeks with the injuries and things like that, so I’m not looking at that second half too much.
“There was plenty of effort there to work that first half, and sometimes that’s a good thing for you when that happens in the last 40 minutes, with what’s coming up, just to keep our feet grounded and kick it around.”
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Leigh Leopards set for injury boost ahead of Warrington clash
Having forced their way into the top six last week, Leigh are now two points safe inside the six but their upcoming four fixtures see them take on Warrington, Wigan, York and Leeds, but Adrian Lam explained that the club are now in control of their own destiny.
He admitted: “It’s been a tough, long season and there’s been plenty of twists and turns and there’s still a few to go, I presume, with the ladder, hopefully not with us.
“We’re in control of what we’ve done now and we’ve worked really hard to get into this position and it’s in our hands. There’s a lot of games at home, I think there’s six out of the eight at home, but more importantly, we’ve got Wigan and Warrington at home.
“It’ll be a tough game next week but we’ll address that today and move on quickly.”
Boosting their chances against Warrington could be several returnees as well, as Lam revealed: “I think there’s three or four back next week and the same number after that, so it puts a smile on my face but I’m just pleased with the group.
“In the last two to three weeks we’ve had people playing out of position and it’s not ideal for us. At different times players that haven’t played big minutes or minutes at all have to come on and save us so I’m just grateful of how hard everyone’s worked to earn that two points today.”
