Notice was served over a certain period of time, but the warning was not heeded by the team who are officially, the best in the business.

With no less than SIX young reserves players in their ranks, Hull FC broke the glass ceiling above them, and gave the current Super League, Challenge Cup and World Club Champions a lesson they are unlikely to forget in a hurry, no matter how much they might want to forget it.

In recent weeks, or earlier this season, young players such as Logan Moy (who was injured this week) Nick Staveley, Zach Jebson and Harvey Barron have all made a significant impression on the Betfred Super League, although usually ending up in glorious failure.

However, yesterday the likes of Davy Litten, Will Gardiner, Lewis Martin, Denive Balmforth, Matty Laidlaw (to a slightly lesser extent) and predominantly, Jack Charles all made a major impression and duly caused the shock result of the season so far, bar none.

It is only Hull’s third win of the whole season, but it should leave people under no illusion that this bunch of super talented youth are established now of being capable of rattling the biggest cage of the lot and the belief that will go with claiming such a high profile scalp, can only prompt much more loftier ambitions for these lads who have come up through the ranks of the Hull FC reserves and indeed, in the majority of cases, the Hull FC academy.

What we saw at the MKM Stadium yesterday was the embodiment of young men who have played together for a few years out of the public eye largely (I believe that reserve and academy games, while drawing in some fans, do not get big enough crowds, YET) and turning all that time together into what it has long promised to become.

Make no mistake, this was years of hard work coming to fruition, only a week before, these young stars were being told that they strayed away from the game plan too much against Hull KR and that was the only reason we got beat, yesterday they proved that point by sticking to the game plan, controlling their aggression and enthusiasm, not forcing miracle passes and, most interestingly, by taking risks, but not ones that were simply flights of fancy, they were controlled risks, but risks nonetheless and they paid off in spades and put the World Champions in positions they are unfamiliar with, they made them make decisions that they didn’t want, or expect to have to make, they set the tone right from the outset and never deviated from it.

Wigan, in Harry Smith have a current international standard half back, yesterday he came up against 18-year-old Jack Charles who has made a few appearances this season, but only came back into the first team environment when Ben Reynolds was recalled from loan by Hull KR and then shipped out to Featherstone Rovers a fortnight ago.

An international half back, Grand Final, Challenge Cup and World Club Championship winner, against an adolescent half back who is still cutting his teeth would seem like not much of a match up, and indeed it wasn’t, because frankly, Charles put Smith in his back pocket for much of the game and led him a merry dance around the field, save for the times that he let him out so the England international could cough up another mistake if one were needed and probably left Smith wishing that, in front of a hostile home crowd, the ground would open up and swallow him, before his tormentor-in-chief popped him back in his pocket and continued to torment the rest of his teammates with his astute kicking and running game, to which fullback Jack Walker who has also recently been playing alongside him in the reserves, was fully in tune, as evidenced by his try and several breaks that promised much and could, quite frankly have made the score-line somewhat more embarrassing for the champions, had certain moves been properly executed.

Matt Peet’s team were a shadow of their usual selves, beaten to the punch in every department by a gutsy, committed Hull team (yes I know I’m a known Hull FC supporter, but I’m confident that most people who are absolutely neutral will agree with me) and as close as the final score looks, it has to be pointed out that the Warriors only got back within striking distance when the Airlie Birds were down to 12-men for the last eight minutes of the game, but in truth even at that point, Hull never really looked in any danger of letting their lead completely slip as this young bunch realised the situation for what it was, and that was Wigan were having to chase the game, Hull weren’t and those young lads clearly knew it, they belied their young age and showed an experience and resolution to simply defend what they had worked so hard to gain.

During this process, Davy Litten scored a delicious first try of the season for himself and Denive Balmforth, who is quickly being compared, rightly or wrongly to Kieron Cunningham, scored his 4th try in the last five games, it was absolutely glorious to watch, even for any purists who support Wigan, I’m sure they will revel in the fact that they were there to see these lads really come of age, the same as I’m proud of my team playing in the 1985 Challenge Cup Final, which is still hailed by many as the greatest of all time, despite our desperately close defeat that day at Wembley.

So, there it is, the warning is now there for all to take notice of. For Wigan, I’m sure that the ever graceful and honest Matty Peet must have nightmares about crossing the penninesand arriving at either side of the fair city of Kingston Upon Hull, because during his time as Wigan head coach, I remember him getting one golden point victory at Craven Park and previously one opening night win there when he had first been appointed, plus one pre-season win at the MKM Stadium this year, with all the other trips over here ending up in (unexpected?) defeat.

Yes, I still expect them to win everything available to them this season, but I guarantee they won’t look forward to any trip to either side of the 2017 UK City of Culture next year, maybe they’d prefer a trip to Las Vegas instead?

I will also throw in the fact that they demolished Hull KR at Doncaster, on their way to lifting the Challenge Cup again, maybe yesterday, we provided a bit of retribution for our iconic city for that result.

Written by Ian Judson (Site contributor & Hull FC fan)