It looked like finishing like a repeat of their thrilling Good Friday clash - except that, this time, Hull FC were the ones who looked to have snatched victory with a dropped-goal six minutes from time. But Hull Kingston Rovers were not to be denied and they surged back for Jake Webster to dive in at the corner for the deciding try yesterday, six weeks after their 11-10 victory over their city rivals at Craven Park.

A more dramatic climax for a real blood-and-thunder derby match would be hard to imagine. Yet it was shrouded in controversy as Rovers were given a scrum after Tommy Lee was judged to have knocked the ball forward when it hit his leg in the build-up to Webster's try. Peter Sharp, the Hull coach, said: “It was a massive call and I thought it was poor. There's no other way of looking at it.”

Millennium Magic did not extend to ball retention and there were numerous needless errors, but the commitment of both sides was total and Rovers probably had the best of the overall exchanges after a slow start. In Ben Fisher and Scott Murrell, they had the game's two most influential players.

Hull silenced the noisy and enthusiastic Rovers' supporters with a try after just 49 seconds. A forceful break by Craig Hall left Gareth Raynor little room to manoeuvre in the left-hand corner but, as the video referee confirmed, he somehow managed to ride Peter Fox's tackle and stretch over at the flag.

It might have been worse for Rovers. Danny Washbrook, the Hull stand-off, slid a grubber kick through, which only just eluded the diving Raynor as it crossed the try-line.

Another chance for Sharp's side went begging when Lee Radford was stripped of the ball but Danny Tickle, as with his conversion attempt after Raynor's try, struck the penalty opportunity wide.

Cramped and frustrated by Hull's decisive tackling, it was 20 minutes before Rovers mounted their first attack, Chev Walker being held a foot short, but Fisher's appearance gave them more bite and a sudden period of pressure was amply rewarded.

Persistent attacking ended with Paul Cooke and Walker combining to put Fox over, Cooke improving, and they took the lead when Tickle lost the ball and his team-mates failed to react, allowing Rovers room to set up Daniel Fitzhenry.

It was then Hull's time to pick up the pace and Richard Whiting, making his first appearance of the season after suffering a broken arm, slid through a grubber kick. Turning to kill the danger, Fox failed to hold the ball and the ever alert Raynor dived over for his second try of the night - and 100th for the club - although it needed confirming by the video official before Tickle converted to level the scores at 10-10 at half-time.

Hull started the second session as they finished the first with Washbrook touched down after seeing off two attempted tackles. Tickle increased the lead with the conversion, but it lasted only four minutes as Rovers produced one of the best moves of the match. Chris Chester, Ben Galea and Cooke countered successfully with Walker applying the finishing touches and Cooke levelled the scores at 16-16 .

And there it remained until the last six minutes. An attempted dropped goal by Cooke was judged a miss after the referee, again uncertain, went to the video referee but Adam Dykes's matching attempt left no room for argument when he let fly at the other end.

Hull supporters were overjoyed but then came Rovers' coup de grâce. Whatever the argument may have been over the referee's decision to award Rovers a scrum, the build-up to the try was well worth the score it produced.

Clint Newton's drive from 20 metres got him over the line but he could not ground the ball. Mick Vella then tried from close range. but also without success before Webster made it from Galea's pass.