Hull FC hammer Salford under Friday night lights at the CorpAcq Stadium in Salford to advance to the fourth round of the Challenge Cup.

The reborn Salford RLFC entered the Challenge Cup in the second round where they defeated Hammersmith Hill Hoists in London by 42–10. However, Mike Grady’s side were winless in the Betfred Championship after an opening round defeat to Greater Manchester rivals Oldham and a tough trip to Barrow Raiders losing 38–4 in Yorkshire.

For Hull FC, they have played two pre-season fixtures having suffered two defeats to the Wigan Warriors and the Huddersfield Giants.

The game began in ruthless fashion as at the end of the first set a Toby Hughes kick was charged down by Hull FC’s Yusuf Aydin who reclaimed the ball and scored for an easy first try of the game.

Hull FC came into the fixture huge favourites, and they were not letting up. Debutant Jake Arthur lead a nice passing sequence on the right side in the fifth minute which found its way out to a wide-open Davy Litten who scored the black and whites’ second try of the night.

The first half brought minimal opportunities for a young Salford side, however they shown a few flashes, particularly in terms of the kicking game of Fin Yates who managed to put the Hull FC defence under pressure at times, however a lack of conviction and quality near the tryline was telling on the night.

Despite Salford having just one month to undergo a surgical rebrand after being wound up by HMRC in December 2025, the Salford fans were still singing loud and proud throughout the 80 minutes.

Salford found themselves 16–0 down by the 26th minute as Amir Borough came back to haunt his former club as he scored after a quick dash from dummy-half to give Hull FC a dominant lead.

Debutant Jake Arthur and Harvey Barron combined efficiently as the Australian halfback threw a spinning cutout ball to his winger who finished the move effortlessly scoring in the corner sending the contingent of travelling Hull FC supporters into applause to make it 22–0 at half time.

John Cartwright’s team showed no signs of slowing down in the second half as in the 43rd minute, the eventual man of the match Davy Litten scored two tries to complete his hattrick after a sensational performance, perhaps following in the footsteps of his brother Jez Litten who played a vital role in city rivals Hull KR’s treble winning season in 2025.

Hull FC’s debutants hit the ground running as both Joe Batchelor and Jake Arthur scored a try each as well to cap off a well-deserved, although expected win at the CorpAcq Stadium. These performances would have been celebrated by Hull FC director of rugby Richie Myler, who in his playing career endured time at Salford.

French international Arthur Romano also scored on his debut after cutting in with nice footwork to score Hull FC’s fifth try of the game.

The onslaught continued as Salford could not compete with the physicality and endurance of the Hull FC pack with two second half tries from ex-Salford halfback Cade Cust. It was an efficient performance from the airlie birds with veteran Zak Hardaker kicking eight conversions.

Overall, Hull FC will be delighted with the result and be happy with their debutants who look settled already. However, for Salford RLFC, they will be disappointed about the result but can continue to build on stable foundations and maybe reach the heights the former ‘Red Devils’ achieved.