Hull FC coach Peter Gentle has called the club's Challenge Cup victory in France the most satisfying of his coaching career.
Hull reached the last four of the cup with a hard-fought 24-13 victory against Catalan Dragons in Perpignan .
Ending a four-game losing streak in the process, Gentle says he believed the win was coming and was full of praise for the performance of his players in soaring temperatures.
"It is exciting to be in the semi-final and that was the most satisfying win I've been involved in since we've been at the club," Gentle told the Mail.
"After what we have come off on our run, to get the win was very pleasing and I think we have been building toward that.
"I'm pretty pleased to be sat here the winner to be honest with you. Those were really trying conditions out there, they really were horrendous and the game was played at a snail's pace at times."
Tom Briscoe's 50 metre effort proved the deciding factor of a game that swung one way and then a next, with Shannon McDonnell's last second try the icing on the cake for the Black and Whites, who are now in the semi-finals for the first time in five years.
McDonnell had opened the scoring, but after Catalan hit back to take the lead through Eloir Pelissier's try and a conversion and drop goal for Scott Dureau, it was Hull who regained the half-time advantage thanks to Danny Tickle's penalty.
Morgan Escare then struck soon after the break, but Hull held their nerve to score three times, with Tom Lineham's score adding to those from Briscoe and McDonnell.
"Gareth Ellis, Joe Westerman and Danny Houghton all played their hearts out there for us, for Houghton to put in an 80-minute performance like that in those conditions is a pretty special effort," added Gentle.
"Our try line defence was superb and held up pretty well to almost everything they threw at us, although it was a slow game and that was partly down to the new balls.
"Once the shirts and grip got sweaty, the ball was really hard to hold in the tackle and the boys were saying it was tough to hold onto in the tackle. We're through and it's great to be in the semi-finals."
