THERE may have been a distinct lack of familiarity about their makeshift team but Wakefield put five years of frustration behind them with a redemptive victory over Huddersfield. Trinity had not beaten Huddersfield in Super League since 2003 and were not expected to end an eight-match losing run after being forced to field a team stripped of experience because of a catalogue of injuries.

But a week after their weakened side had completed a shock victory over Warrington, Wakefield dug deep to grind out a narrow, but thoroughly deserved, win against a deeply disappointing Huddersfield. They scored three tries to their opponents’ two yet Wakefield were indebted to a 59th-minute penalty by Danny Brough, his only successful kick from three attempts, for the victory that soothed the pain of four defeats by the Giants last season.

Wakefield trailed 12-8 at the interval but were treated to a deserved standing ovation from their supporters as they filed from the field after acquitting themselves exceptionally in difficult circumstances. The visitors matched Huddersfield try for try and only an indifferent display with the boot by Danny Brough, who missed both conversion attempts, and a paucity of luck in defence and attack prevented them from at least reaching the halfway stage on level terms.

Trinity went into the match missing 11 senior players, three of whom had to be de-registered with long-term injuries to allow the promotion to first team duty of juniors Jay Pitts and Kyle Bibb, who made his first appearance on the replacements’ bench.

They also featured the inexperienced Aaron Murphy on the wing, not that the 19-year-old allowed the occasion to get to him. He was coolness personified in opening the scoring with a well-taken try in the fifth minute. The chance was set up by a slick cut-out pass from Scott Grix that sailed over the heads of two defenders and into the hands of Murphy, who defied the efforts of three tacklers to reach the corner.

Huddersfield responded with a try from Luke Robinson, the scrum-half who stepped precociously past Jamie Rooney and Duncan MacGillivray with an audacious dummy close to the line after Wakefield had conceded three costly penalties.

The next few minutes were accompanied by an uncanny sense of déjà vu with Rod Jensen, the Huddersfield centre, and his opposite number Tony Martin scoring tries at either end in identical circumstances.

Jensen’s try came from a stabbed kick to the corner by Chris Thorman which bounced awkwardly above the head of Murphy for the delighted Australian to collect the loose ball and touch down. From the restart Wakefield pressed forward in numbers and were instantly rewarded when Sam Obst, the hooker, followed Thorman’s lead with a forceful kick that bounded over winger Michael Lawrence and into the hands of Martin.

Huddersfield’s run of bad luck changed for the better before the interval when Brough scythed them open with a darting run only to be hauled down by Robinson, who was fortunate that he was neither penalised or sin-binned for a lingering obstruction on the Wakefield scrum-half.

Wakefield made a bold start to the second half after surviving an early scare when Jensen, the fastest player in Super League behind Castleford experiment Dwain Chambers, raced 50 metres on a touchline-hugging run only to inexplicably stop and allow Brough to complete a try-saving tackle.

Brough was then at the heart of some intelligent approach play that ended with his low kick to the corner ricocheting off the legs of Jensen and into the path of Oliver Wilkes, who gratefully crashed over. Martin landed the conversion to edge Wakefield into a two-point lead which was pegged back by a penalty from Thorman, who added another when Danny Sculthorpe was caught offside in front of his own posts.

Trinity restored parity with another penalty by Martin before taking the lead for a third time with a penalty by Brough from 45 metres out. Cue a frantic finish with both sides making errors but Trinity just about managing to hold firm.

Star man: Sam Obst (Wakefield)

Huddersfield: C Thorman (capt); M Lawrence, S Elford, P Whatuira, R Jensen; K Brown, L Robinson; K Mason, G Gatis, A Raleigh, S Snitch, E Crabtree, J Lolesi. Replacements: P Jackson, D Griffin, R Hudson, D Kirmond

Wakefield: S Grix; A Murphy, T martin, R Atkins, S Gleeson; J Rooney, D Brough; R Bibey, S Obst (capt), R Moore, J Golden, D MacGillivray, D Sculthorpe. Replacements: O Wilkes, T Leo-Latu, K Bibb, J Pitts

Scorers: Huddersfield: Tries: Robinson, Jensen Cons: Thorman 2 Pens: Thorman 2

Wakefield: Tries: Murphy, Martin, Wilkes Con: Martin Pens: Martin, Brough

Referee: P Bentham (Warrington)

Attendance: 5,693