PETER Gentle insists his Hull FC side are not finished yet despite a fourth successive defeat sending them to the brink of falling out of the play-off picture.
The Aussie coach is adamant Hull showed enough encouraging signs in a 22-16 defeat to Huddersfield Giants yesterday to suggest they are getting back on track.
But with their run of nine wins in 10 games now a distant memory, Hull have fallen from fourth to eighth in the league ladder, and four points behind local rivals Hull KR.
Victory for ninth-placed Wakefield tonight over Widnes would leave the Wildcats just point behind Hull, and with a game in hand.
But, on the back of a much-improved display against the second-placed Giants, Gentle believes there are plenty of reasons to be positive moving forward.
"It was better from us but they are a decent side, arguably the form side in the competition," explained Gentle.
"I am proud of the players. They are really coming together as a group and that is just what we need. If we had played like that in the last two weeks we would have got those results.
"We will take a heap of confidence into this week. We were not playing a side second last, we were playing a side second in the table, the form side.
"To go tit for tat with them for 70 odd minutes, I will take a lot from that. There was enough there to think we are still in the show."
Despite taking an early lead for the third successive game, Hull again had to try and come from behind as the Giants edged the scoreboard in a tight affair.
Mark O'Meley's second-half try looked to have earned Hull a deserved and hard-fought draw, until Danny Brough capitalised on a large touch of fortune to score a late winner.
Hull's performance may not have earned them the points, but was a substantial improvement on recent weeks.
"We were up against the biggest pack in the competition, so we know we can do it and we have it in us," Gentle added.
"We spoke at half-time about what we were supposed to be doing and the way we started the second half was just what we needed and enabled us to get some field position.
"Had a few things gone our way it may have been a different result, but I have no complaints."
Gentle may have been encouraged by Hull's improved performance, but the coach admits a failure to create enough opportunities in attack again proved their downfall.
"There were too many basic errors still," said Gentle.
"Our attack is still misfiring, but that comes with the halves changing weekly for us."
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