HULL FC warmed up for Wembley with a vital win, but it may yet come at a huge cost with three players leaving the field late on against Salford.
Joe Westerman's 78th-minute try came to Hull's rescue in a game that never really came into life, with the impending Challenge Cup final no doubt weighing heavily on the minds of the FC players.
Marc Sneyd's drop-goal with three minutes remaining looked to have snatched victory for the City Reds, before Hull dug deep to claim an 18-13 victory.
While thoughts will turn to the cup final, coach Peter Gentle will sweat on the fitness of three players with Danny Tickle, Kirk Yeaman and Joe Arundel all departing in the latter stages of the game with injuries.
Tickle's apparent dead leg is the least of Hull's worries, with both centres Arundel and Yeaman departing in pain with respective hand and leg injuries.
While news of the fitness of those players is waited on, Hull can at least celebrate all-but guaranteeing their play-off place with two games remaining.
It wasn't the prettiest of displays, but a vital victory nonetheless.
Wembley may only be a week away but there was no suggestion of taking it easy as Gentle was true to his word and selected his strongest available 17.
It meant just two enforced changes to the side that beat Hull KR, with Jason Crookes replacing Tom Lineham and Andy Lynch recalled for Mark O'Meley.
Gentle resisted the opportunity to rest players with the focus being not only on snatching two vital points, but maintaining the momentum his side had been able to build in recent weeks.
The question was whether Gentle's 17 players could stay focused on the game in hand and not be distracted by the bright lights of the Wembley arch.
The answer didn't take too long to emerge as the intensity on show from last week's derby game was in short supply.
Defending three successive sets on their own try line, Hull's defence was called into action early as the visitors asserted the pressure in the opening exchanges.
Hull's tactics were clear as they went through their tackles before Jacob Miller's astute kicking game forced the Reds back to their own try-line.
Keeping it simple and going set for set with Salford, Hull played with the confidence that approach would eventually bring reward.
While that may have been the case, it was Salford's expansive style that was causing a threat and it came as no surprise when former Hull player Ryan McGoldrick cut through the FC defence on the back of Lee Gaskell's 40/20.
While trailing, Hull's approach never changed as they remained steadfast in the belief their patient approach would soon pay dividends, which it soon did.
Daniel Holdsworth provided the deft grubber kick from 10 metres out, with Arundel timing his run to perfection to follow last week's derby try with another score.
The trouble was, while Hull were content with their approach, so were Salford and just to prove their early forays at the Hull line were a genuine threat, they crossed over again.
Aided again by successive penalties, the Reds gave the ball some air and in switching out to their right Danny Williams was able to dive over by the corner flag.
Marc Sneyd's second conversion, this time from the touchline, gave the visitors a six-point advantage they were good value for.
Beginning to open up as the game progressed and boosted by the injection of pace from dummy-half by Aaron Heremaia, the hosts looked to get on the front foot and dictate proceedings.
But Hull found their attack stifled by the Reds' tactics of making the ruck as pedestrian as possible.
Wasting 60 seconds to take a drop out as one example, the visitors were taking every opportunity to slow the game and were allowed to get away with it by referee Thierry Alibert.
Hull may have ended the first half brightly but a dour start after the break was not what Gentle will have been asking for during the interval.
The response the Aussie will have requested did come, thanks to the injection of pace from Jamie Shaul, the enthusiasm of Heremaia and the creative threat of Miller and Holdsworth.
Heremaia had been a livewire since his arrival on the field and when Gentle reintroduced Danny Houghton to the game with a little over 20 minutes to go, but kept Heremaia on, his decision was immediately rewarded.
Houghton's delayed cut-out pass from in front of the Salford try line found Heremaia racing on to the ball as he coasted through a confused Salford defence.
The easiest of conversions for Tickle levelled the scores again and Hull were left with 20 minutes to win a vital two points.
The momentum that led up to Heremaia's try was sapped somewhat by Salford's solid defending and Hull's mistakes and the game looked to have got beyond Hull when Sneyd slotted over a drop-goal with four minutes to go.
Hull showed the sort of determination that has taken them to Wembley and regaining the ball from the kick-off, two tackles later Hull were in front as Joe Westerman burst through to score before converting his own try.
