Super League: Wakefield 36-28 Warrington
By PA SPORT
Last Updated: 16/05/16 10:54am
Wakefield held off a tremendous second-half fightback from First Utility Super League leaders Warrington to continue their resurgence with a 36-28 win.
The Wildcats looked to be in total control when they led 30-6 three minutes into the second half, but the Wolves struck back with four tries in 21 minutes and they needed a late score from winger Ben Jones-Bishop to seal the victory which lifts them up to sixth place.
The home side had three players sin-binned in a pulsating second half but demonstrated the resolve and tenacity that has become their hallmark under Chris Chester to claim their biggest scalp yet.
Warrington were forced to field a makeshift half-back pairing after Stefan Ratchford pulled out with illness but two-try Joe Westerman filled in superbly and young half-back Morgan Smith caught the eye with an impressive cameo on his Super League debut.
The first half was the Craig Hall show as the former Hull KR centre scored two tries and set up another to help the Wildcats into a 24-6 interval lead.
He took full-back Max Jowitt's clever offload to sprint 70 metres for the opening score after only two minutes, while four minutes later stand-off Jacob Miller got second-rower Matty Ashurst striding through a gap in the visitors' defence.
Liam Finn converted both to make it 12-0 after only six minutes but Warrington demonstrated their potential by scoring from their first meaningful attack through Westerman, whose try was converted by Kurt Gidley.
However, the Wolves were made to pay for their sloppy work by Hall. First he picked off Ben Westwood's careless pass to go in for his second try and then intercepted one from Gidley, combining with Ashurst to get winger Tom Johnstone racing away from halfway.
Finn maintained his accuracy to open up an 18-point advantage and it got even better for Wakefield when Miller got Ashurst crashing over for his second try within three minutes of the restart to make it 30-6.
Hooker Daryl Clarke sparked the fightback for the visitors, jinking his way over from 40 metres out on 47 minutes, while Gidley forced his way over from close range three minutes later.
An 80-metre gallop from former Hull KR prop Jordan Cox helped the Wolves maintain the momentum and, when Wakefield had Jones-Bishop sin-binned for holding down in the tackle, they took full advantage of the extra man to work winger Matty Russell over at the corner.
That cut the home side's lead to just eight points and, although Finn briefly calmed fraying nerves with a 59th-minute penalty, Warrington stepped up a gear in the final quarter.
Ben Currie was bundled into touch by the corner flag by centre Joe Arundel, Smith was brought down just short of the line and Kevin Penny had a try disallowed for a forward pass.
The entertaining game opened up further after 68 minutes when former Warrington prop Anthony England was sin-binned, along with Gidley, for fighting and Westerman immediately went over for his second try.
Smith converted the try to register his first Super League points and the Wolves ought to have gone in front when Westerman broke clear only to watch Clark drop the pass with a try beckoning.
It looked bleak for the Wildcats when skipper Danny Kirmond became the fourth recipient of a yellow card for a trip on Smith but they withstood an onslaught and clinched a famous victory when Jones-Bishop touched down Jowitt's kick to the corner two minutes from the end.
