Hull FC's win over Huddersfield wasn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but for speedster winger Harvey Barron, it did show some of the progress made by John Cartwright's side this year.

Showing a level of resilience that just wasn't there last season, Hull dug in to repel the Giants. They absorbed a lot of pressure and hardly had an even keel of field position and possession. However, in an ugly and untidy game, they got the job done, sticking together to repel their opposition.

That, in the 21-year-old's eyes, sits just fine, with Hull finding a way to win—something they didn't do last year. Including the Challenge Cup, that's three already this season, matching the club's entire total from last term with just four matches played.

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"It's massive for us," Barron said post-match. "With the discipline we've got now, we're just digging in and grinding for each other. Last year I think they would have ended up putting 30 or 40 points on us, so to stay in the game, not roll over, and let them bully us is a massive, massive step forward.

"I don't think we were great by any means, but to be able to walk away with two points and put in a gritty result shows a big step forward. It was a bit of a gritty game. There were parts where we thought we were out of it, and the boys dug in to get the two points.

"There are times when you just have to dig in and dig deep. We thought we did that, so we're happy to come away with the win."

Hull took the lead through Lewis Martin and looked good value for it early on, but they were pegged back after Jacob Gagai and Adam Swift tries. That saw the Giants 10-4 up at the break—a lead they held deep into the second half, with Barron levelling the scores with an intercept before Aidan Sezer's drop-goal.

Reflecting on the game, Barron, who ran for 232 metres, continued: "We felt like we were on top of them, but every time we went down there, we came up with an error, or when they got the ball back down at their own end, we'd give away a penalty and let them out.

"At the back end of the first half, we started to show a bit of fatigue, and then they scored a couple of tries. Things did get a little bit better in the second half, but Huddersfield has a knack for being quite a stubborn side, especially in defence with how tough they were to break down.

"They just defended tight. I don't think they had any errors—the errors were very low, so we just had to dig in and get back to the ins and outs of training, stick to our systems, and dig in.

As for his try, which saw the winger sprint 90 metres after taking Tui Lolohea's pass, Barron explained: "He did me in the first half, and I probably went a bit too early, and he's thrown it straight over my head.

"I've tried to hold my nerve a bit. I've positioned myself in between, and luckily I've tapped the ball back to myself and gone the full way—it was quite a grab, really, out of midair with one hand.

"You don't really think about it; you're just trying to get your hands on it and then luckily come up with it. You probably get to about their 40, their 30, and you realise the try line is there, and you start thinking about how you're going to put the ball down—that's what I was doing. I tried not to mess that bit up."

Touching down in front of Hull's away following, the emotion on Barron was there to see: "It was unreal," he said. "They were loud all night—louder than the Huddersfield fans; you could hear them.

"They were chanting all game, so after putting the ball down, I just forgot about everything and just turned around and started cheering. It was a good feeling."

And as for Aidan Sezer, Barron paid tribute to the club's new iceman, who sealed the game with the decisive drop-goal.

"He's a general," Barron added. "He's class—every time he touches the ball, you just know something is going to happen."