PETER Gentle says he never once questioned the character or desire of his Hull FC side after seeing them end a four-match losing streak by booking their place in the Challenge Cup semi-finals.
The Aussie coach was full of praise for the resolve shown by his players, who reached the last four of the cup with a 24-13 victory over Catalan Dragons in the south of France.
Rewarded with a clash against Warrington, the result in France means Hull have bounced back from a miserable month which has seen them drop down to eighth in the league ladder.
While the Black and Whites' performance was far from perfect in the stifling heat of Perpignan, Gentle was unconcerned.
"When you go through tough times you can go one of two ways," he told the Mail. "You can fall apart at the seams or you can pull together tighter, we came together.
"We were unlucky last week, but we know we are heading on the right track and you could see that. It is one of the most important results.
"The resolve and character of this side is something I have never doubted or questioned. We still need to tidy our execution up, but I cannot be critical after that game in those conditions. We're delighted with the win."
Hull's attack may not have been at its best, but an exceptional defensive display led by man-of-the-match Danny Houghton proved the catalyst for victory.
Under increasing pressure as Catalan chased the game, Hull held out for the most part, keeping the Dragons to a try either side of half-time, thanks to a resilience and determination that had Gentle purring afterwards.
"There was error after error compounded with a lot of penalties and there was some poor discipline on our part, but we held together defensively, it was a massive effort," he added.
"It means a lot to us. We pulled really tightly together as a group and being away helped with that. There were a few special things we did this week and everyone from the water boy to the captain played their part.
"It was a great team effort typified by a great team performance. There were so many great efforts out there and that is what it takes. It was the best team performance I've been involved in."
Hull will return to league matters this Friday with a trip to Bradford Bulls as they attempt to re-ignite their Super League campaign.
Following their visit to Odsal, Hull are back in Challenge Cup action with a place at Wembley in store and Gentle has challenged his men to not let their efforts in France be in vain.
"It is terrific for us to be in the last four. We want to get down to the last two though, so that is the next challenge," he added.
HULL will today send Ben Galea for scans on a bicep injury which may end his season.
