The last Diary certainly covered an exciting week, and true to form, what a quiet one we have seen in the last 7 days. The pundits on the message boards linked us with everyone who is available, (and several players that aren't), Peter Gentle travelled home, the players got their heads down and actual news was at a premium. We were confronted with the reality of a couple of players that appear to be a little greedy, Rich Whiting, at least talking, about a new deal, Yeamo back in training and Westerman due back in contention this week too.
It's a real see-saw for news at present when we experience a week without a game and information is hard to come by, and then as the next match approaches it floods in. However there was still plenty of stuff playing on this fans mind and.....

In this week's Diary I look at Jordan Turner and Willie Manu, whether the latter's Saints deal has fell through, and the truth behind the speculation, then there's Yeamo and Westerman, Aaron on his way back and the continuing 'Gentle' revolution. Plus there's an in depth look at the debacle that is the RFL these days, Rich Whiting our greatest assetand must have signing? The retirement of Gareth Raynor, the Canadian Rugby League Alliance and in the return of Codgers Corner a game at Salford in 1980 when 'Knocker' was King and 'Super Taff' ruled the day!

What a great night, a big win, a fantastic atmosphere, plenty of dummy spitting from Leeds, Tom Hark resonating around the Ground and a free introduction for everyone to the forthcoming Brent Webb Exercise video!!

We didn't beat the World Champions because rather like the game against Rovers, we stuffed em! Last season in the third quarter of that game we would have folded, as Leeds stepped up the pressure we would have dropped balls and missed tackles and started blaming each other. This time around, we hung in there, stuck together, forced a few penalties and then killed them off. It was a victory for a brilliant game plan and what is turning out to be a brilliant Coach. The pack was back and the tactic of playing an expansive game from the off certainly threw Leeds. I loved it and I expect so did Adam Pearson, who after I had enquired as to how he was 'getting on' last Wednesday just said, "I just want to beat Leeds"

Didn't we all? What a sweet, sweet victory it was, we might not win anything this season, but I believe that already we have more memories and moments to saver than we had in the last campaign. The signs are good, but since I returned from my holiday several people have said that they are concerned about Manu's departure, McKinnon returning home and our recent defeats but I'm still prepared to remain calm, because I really now believe we are going in the right direction and the Leeds game emphatically proved that for me. Peter Gentle said on Saturday, "There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes right now at the club. There may be some short-term pain but we are working on the long term, and building something here, and so we are prepared for that pain" perhaps as fans, we should be too.

In this week's Diary there is a look at the Allam's at City and what the disastrous happenings at that Club this week mean for Hull FC, there's Adam sacked by City, Willie Manu being a bit inconsistent, McKinnon going home, Lynch's new contract, Jordan Turner, Richard Horne at Full back and Richard Whiting. Then I have a go at understanding Adams hopes for bigger gates, have a look at Canadian Rugby League, who's leaving and Mr sandy dicks plan to beat Wigan. Plus of course there's a look at Saturdays game the excitement the atmosphere and the performance!

NEXT DENTIST DIARY AVAILABLE FROM 8TH MAY

Wilf apologises for the continued absence of the Dentist Diary but he has been working on finishing his book, has been away on holiday and as there is now no game this week the Diary will now return for an extended run on Tuesday 8th May directly after Bank Holiday Monday and the Leeds game. By then Wilf hopes to have bottomed some of the rumours flying about concerning signings and re signings and to have made a few up himself!

Once again apologises for the lack of a Diary this week and thanks for your co-operation

What a weekend for hero's that was, a superb win on Friday and as good a battling defensive display as I have seen for years yesterday at Huddersfield.

Friday was a magnificent afternoon and one that confirmed as I said last week that perhaps the "FC are Back!" I loved every minute ...well, actually I fretted a lot and was extremely anxious until that last 20 minutes, when it was the best feeling ever. But that's just me, I don't do Derby's very well these days, in fact the older you become the worse they seem to get!

However in hindsight that 215th Hull Derby must have been one of the best against the odds wins we have seen. At last as someone said this weekend, we have a team that is greater than the sum of its parts. Rugby League is a team game and we are slowly developing into a group where everyone covers each other's backs and works for the greater good of the unit. The message for all Dobbins fans after that win has to be, no matter what happens in the next two Derby's, this time around you were simply out-enthused and out-coached.

Peter Gentle's plans saw us stifle Michael Dobson, as Andy Hay masterminded another brilliant defensive show and in the end we outsmarted the opposition in every department. With 7 players out and Radders back as a makeshift prop in the end it was still one way traffic. That last try was the sort of thing that happens just before you wake up from a great dream and was a fitting end to what was in the second half, a demolition that will live long in the memory. A liquid tea in the Drum and Monkey in good company finished off a brilliant day that I'll remember for a very long time. Yesterdays result was after that pretty incidental for me and always a big ask. Friday was the big one but I was glad I battled through the traffic to Huddersfield to be present at such a 'Brian Smith' type display of backs to the wall tenacity.

In this week's Diary, I'll dissect that Derby victory and look at the game plan that out coached Sandracock, our team's performances and the fun on the Park and Ride bus after the game. Then there's the hero's of the Galpharm and we look at Adam wanting bigger gates, Sam Moa's return, building for the future, what the long term future holds for Bradford and in Codgers Corner a more recent game at the KC when we gave Wigan a bit of their own medicine.

What a great night of drama we had on Friday.

The 'buzz' in the crowd after that game was tremendous and the smiling relieved faces of the punters as they left, spoke volumes for the 'Gentle Revolution'. Despite not yet playing anywhere near our actual capabilities for a full 80 minutes and suffering from a lot of injuries, the crowd's belief is returning and perhaps given time we might just be chanting "Hello, Hello, FC are Back" again.

With just 8 first choice players playing in their regular positions and against a Bradford team that despite a few injuries themselves had not been beaten away from home so far this season, it was obvious to me that their recent adversity and off field problems would certainly see them coming at us all guns blazing. Beforehand I think it's safe to say that most of us wondered how our depleted ranks would handle that surge of passion, didn't we?

However, we needn't have worried because, although it was a tough encounter, we simply wrestled out a great win in what was an absolute cracker of a game to watch. It was, as expected, a scrappy game at times with lots of down the middle stuff and as brutal as we have seen thus far, but it was also a game where the togetherness and wanting of this Gentle inspired team shone through. You don't always have to be 'accomplished' to partake in an exciting performance, but as my mate Carl said, "All you can ask for is 100% effort" and we certainly got that. As another pal of mine said as we were leaving the Drum and Monkey on Saturday evening, "It was a game that had us all on the edge of our seats throughout" and that what you pays your money for!

In this week's Diary I have a look at playing against adversity and why I think some of these 'ex-players' have got it wrong about how teams react to crisis, at performances on Friday and Horne and Ellis's critical roles in Gentles plans. There's increased Sky coverage, Coach of the Month for Gentle, some words of wisdom from Adrian Durham, getting Manu to sign up, Sam Moa Down Under and a long look at the Bradford situation and its position in a catalogue of such 'potential disasters' Plus jay Pitts and in Codgers Corner a game against Bradford when they were unbeaten away from home and where we had to draft in a few youngsters......... only this was back in 1984!

Well it certainly was a great week for all FC fans.

We spluttered and stuttered at times but won again yesterday and I wonder if in the future, we'll look back at the signing of Gareth Ellis and say, "That's where the revolution started, that was the turning point". After so many false dawns over the years, I am not sure we will, but at least we have shown the game and our fans just how much Adam Pearson means business and that the 'FC are back'.

Will Ellis turn out to be our best signing ever? Well that's a big ask and for me one that will only be answered in years to come, when we might decide that our best signing ever might just turn out to be Pearson himself! You'll see why I say that later in this Diary.

All I do know is that as we walked back down Wheldon Road last night we were all buzzing again and I love it! Yesterday was not totally satisfactory, in that first half there were problems a plenty, but it was a win and as such, it moved us up to third in the League table and we would all have taken that after 7 games. The thing is that as fans who have weathered the storm and been through the traumatic last three years we all realise it's going to take time and that it's still a work in progress, but as we all said in our 'de-briefing' at the Fox and Coney in South Cave last night, a wins, a win and our start to the season has, in terms of points accumulated, been nothing short of sensational. Looking round after the game it's apparent that there are some 'newby' fans about now, who haven't had to weather the Agar years and I hope that they don't set their sights too high, too soon. There is some way to go yet and that journey will be littered with a few defeats, some disappointments and some poor performances but as someone said to me at half time you can live with all that when you're back trying to play attractive rugby again. With Gentle saying this morning that we need a couple more World Class signing to move us on at last I think we're on our way.

In this week's rather voluminous diary we look at that game at the wonderful support we took to Castleford and another interesting performance on the road to recovery. Then there's an in depth look at our new signing, whether he is the biggest the Club has ever made and what Ellis will bring to the party next year. Plus there's my report on the World Cup Launch what actually happened at that video conference with Ellis, Sam Moa changing his mind and the man management techniques of Peter Gentle. Plus a bit about advance ticket sales for away games, and in Codgers Corner a trip down memory lane to see how we coped in 1985 when Peter Sterling got injured.

58 points, the best defence in Super League, 4 points ahead of Rovers with a game in hand and 9 points from the first 12 available, is a series of plusses that we could hardly have expected when the season started. Add to that a big well done to Danny Tickle for being the first FC Forward in 24 years (since Gary Divorty in 1988), to score 4 tries in a game.

Peter Gentle played things down in those pre season days and we all expected to see a season of transition and that's probably what we'll get in the end, but for now, with almost a quarter of the season gone, I'm pleased with what I have seen. As I always say, this time of the year is all about grinding out the results and posting some points, and as far as that is concerned its job done....so far.

With several players out injured and a second half when we did a bit of experimentation, I thought that we did well. There was around 60 minutes of the Gentle style of playing, that is now emerging, and 20 minutes of Agaresque ?That's what we do when were leading? stuff that we used to see on a regular basis on those few occasions when we got a bit of a lead. This time of course the difference was on 60 minutes we were out of sight!

However for me it's a good start to the season and one that shows just what a good coach can do even with a largely inherited squad. The defence is miles better and now the attacking structure is starting to come together too. I like our style and the way we play rugby at present, because I think that to follow that Saint's performance with an 'annihilation' like yesterdays is how it should be. The cynic in me says that might all change next week but for now, although the legacy of the last three years sees me still apprehensive before games, I'm starting to enjoy my rugby again.

In this week's Diary I look at that game at performances and the enigma that is Danny Tickle, there's Mr Allam 'the socialist Conservative', Injury updates and Tony Martin. Then there's more Gareth Ellis, the ambition of Pearson and the Dobbins Derby switch and what's in it for them? Plus there's early pleas at disciplinary's, Pearson's programme notes, the World Cup announcement, meet the players at Easter and in Codgers Corner a trip back just a few years to a great Cup win over Wigan at the Boulevard.

"We were good enough to hang in and Good enough to get it" said Peter Gentle in his post match Press Conference and you can't really argue with that can you?

Ok, I'm getting old and this is my 55th season and so I'm trying really hard this time around to not get too excited when we win and too disappointed when we lose; 'work in progress' and all that! However I did allow myself a sing and a dance at the end on Friday night because it was for everyone who made the journey a little bit special.

However 'poorly (according to some) the home team are playing, to restrict the Saints to just two tries, to come back from behind twice and to reduce their crowd to silence is certainly an excellent way to reward the army of fans who fought their way over the M62 and back again last Friday.

There are a lot of similarities between what is happening now and what happened in 1988/89, I can't say with any certainty that Gentle is another Brian Smith, nor do I concur with Paul Cooke's 'shroud waiving to sell papers' in the Mail last Friday, when he said Hull FC would do nothing this year, but I think somewhere in between the two stances lies the true picture and personally I am confident things are improving. In the last two games (against Wakefield for 60 minutes and Saints throughout) by and large we actually controlled the game and we were patient, we completed our sets well and our preparation and tactics were spot on.

For me at this point of the season it's not about playing well, or 'performing', it's about incremental improvement, not peaking too early and accruing points to keep you in touch. On Friday I had a great night, as did, I believe, everyone else who made the journey. It was top stuff!

In this week's Diary we look at another tough journey to Lancashire,, a great new Stadium and a wonderful night for the 'Faithful', then there's playing performances, Yeamo's injury revealed, Tony Martin, Rovers derby at the KC, Briscoe to Australia and viewing figures for Rugby League. Plus how are Sundays panning out, Hull's World Cup bid down the drain and in Codgers Corner a look at a game that we had to win to survive, just two days after we were knocked out of the Cup.

After 4 games last season we had two points, this year we have 5, and it was 9 games last year before we got past 5, so that's real progress.......... on the face of it!

However what we are seeing each week is a lot less simple than that to define. Yesterday apparently, the Coach and his staff had to change their game plan in the dressing rooms before-hand, because of the weather. It had been forecast for most of the week and although I don't pretend to be an expert at much of this Rugby lark after 50 odd years of being associated with the Boulevard, I have at least leaned a bit about playing in mud, sleet and driving rain and I think I perhaps get the idea.

For me you firstly play it down the middle, keep it tight and hunt the mistake as we did, then you execute your plays near the opposition's line and when you get penalties and if you have a really reliable goal kicker, you keep tagging on the 2 points. Both of those we didn't do yesterday! So dominant and in control were we in the first 70 minutes yesterday we should have been out of sight but we turned down 7 kickable goals, all of which I think Danny Tickle on that form would have got. Then, when a bit of adversity came along in the last ten minutes, (as we all knew it would), we could have been at least 28-0 up and it wouldn't have mattered.

You just have to go for goal on days like that! Later in this Diary I'll have a look at how we handled those weather conditions back in the late 70's when we were again building a team to Challenge the very best in the Rugby League. Times change but the principles remain the same.

But, I'll take two points and as we have seen this weekend with the top teams, at this point in the season it doesn't matter how you get them, as long as you get them! But it was all a bit of a ?Boreathon' and we'll certainly have to be better next Friday!!!!

In this week's Diary I have a look at that game, the weather, Adam Pearson out of luck and players and performances. Then there's Ganson. Then there's have we a chance with Gareth Ellis?, the morons in the South Stand, Jamie Ellis on the wagon, a letter from a fan in London, Tom Lineham, Sirius, Arthur Bunting, Magic tickets and the Clubs new on line shop. Plus there's a Codgers Corner which looks at a game at Headingley against adversity back in the 1970's. It's a game where the advantage of goal kicking in bad conditions came to the fore.

Sadly, (and possibly infuriatingly) that performance was a bit too much last year for me. It's still early days and I won't be getting twitchy just yet but give it another three matches and I will be, if things don't improve. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed much of the game and there is still a lot of vim and verve in our play but a lot of it on Friday was dumb stuff.

Salford are no mugs this year but at times it was pretty predictable stuff from the FC as 'Sean Long's' two half backs made us look ordinary. For all but the 20 minutes when our forwards got on the front foot, Smith and Holdsworth showed us how it was done and in general we couldn't control them. That's not harsh because I think it's a fact. Folks can cite it just being one game, it being early days and us having players missing but for me it was more about lost ball, untaken chances, too many penalties conceded and an increasing state of panic as the game progressed. More than that perhaps, it looks as if the old problem of being trained to do one thing and going out and doing another on the pitch, is evident again. Having said all that we did throw the ball about a lot and everyone tried really hard.

Last season we went to Salford and beat them in a performance engineered by Longy (the FC player), this season we went there and they beat us in a performance he also animated this time from the Reds training pitch. On the face of it that's not progress but its only the third game and there are still a deal of issues to iron out. The old 'Richard Agar headless Chicken stuff' was back at times on Friday and no-one grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, dictated things and got everyone back on track. That's something we need to address before the Wakefield game.

In this week's diary I look at the journey over to West Manchester, the new stadium and chaos in the Car Park, plus I am pretty critical of what I thought was at times tenacious but in general a poor performance, Clarky's Donuts, Sam Moa and the secret society that is our refereeing fraternity. Then there's bargain tickets for the Magic weekend, an apology about 'Clockgate', Jon Wells, O'Carroll told to slow down a bit, an auction and in Codgers Corner a more recent game that we had to win or go bust.

Well it was two points and we showed a lot of tenacity and spirit and I doubt that we would have come through after that dubious sending off, had that scenario unfolded last season with Agar in charge. I refuse to be too critical at this early stage because through no fault of our own, we are in essence a game behind everyone else. We were in control throughout the game up to that incident with Sam and although we showed a deal of rustiness after that week off, it was great to see one of those backs to the wall performances with which our history is littered, we hung in there and the passion and commitment of all our players yesterday, was just incredible.

No doubt for the neutral it was a boring sort of encounter and the ridiculous timing, on a cold February Sunday night, certainly put a lot of folks off, but that's the TV for you. I have watched the Moa incident time and again but I could see little wrong with that hit which was the sort of contact that some players particularly in the NRL have built their reputations on and quite frankly if it was a precedent extended to the NRL, then there would be a couple of players sent off every game, for that was the sort of hit their game thrives on. Two wrongs never make a right, but inconsistency reigns for me, because that hit of Tommy Lee's the night before at Huddersfield saw him stay on the field, whilst Sam was sent off. I will be interesting to see if we appeal the decision, which could have, for a less focussed and committed Hull team, cost us the game. Two points, a strong rear guard action and it's played two lost none. We should take that.

In this week's Diary I firstly have a long, long look at that incident with Sam Moa and at not so much the decision but who actually made it. There's the game, hanging on with 12 men, the importance of points early in the season and Joe Westerman. There's the debacle of France and how the fixture situation can, in my opinion, easily be rectified, better relations with the RFL, Leeds the World Club Champions (ha ha), Dual contracts for our younger players, a look at the new rules and TV viewing figures and in Codgers Corner after last night I look at a great win over Wigan in 1982 when we again had to scrap it out against adversity and in difficult circumstances.