RESULT rather than performance was probably the key outcome for Saints at Hull FC – but head coach Paul Wellens got both!

Arresting the five-match sequence of defeats and the slide down the Super League table would have been the most prominent factor for the increasingly frustrated fan base.

But the Saints chief highlighted that the 90 per cent completion rate, sticking to the game plan, and seeing the players back themselves were all good indicators of a strong performance in the 46-6 win as the Steve Prescott Cup was retained.

He offered some cautionary words, though, when he added: “We stopped a losing run – I think that’s important.

“But by no means are we sat here now thinking we’re the finished article with a polished side.

“We’ve got a lot of improvement in us and we’re going to have to get better.

“The challenges down the track that we look at are going to be tough and we have to rise to those challenges but I’m encouraged by what I saw and I’m encouraged to see a group that through five to six weeks, whatever it’s been since we last won, have stuck together through tough times and that’s going to benefit us down the track as well.”

A bonus, compared with recent times, is that Saints appear to have ended the Super League Round 20 clash healthy, which is a big plus considering the short turn around before hosting Salford Red Devils on Thursday.

“We seem to have come through unscathed,” said Wellens.

“There’s a few carrying knocks, but I quite like the fact that we’re going on a short turnaround.

“We’ve usually handled them pretty well in the past and that’s going to be our challenge again on Thursday.”