Craig Lingard was left to rue one that got away after Castleford Tigers missed an opportunity to claim Super League’s biggest scalp in a 10-8 home loss to Wigan Warriors.
The Tigers led 8-4 with 20 minutes remaining thanks to Tex Hoy’s brilliant solo try and two penalties from Rowan Milnes.
However, Liam Marshall completed a brace and Harry Smith kicked a penalty to hand the defending champions the spoils six days on from their Challenge Cup triumph at Wembley.
A narrow defeat represented a major step forward for Castleford after three heavy losses to Wigan earlier in the season but Lingard could not hide his frustration at full-time.
“One thing we talked about when we held our mid-season review was trying to be a team that won’t go away,” said the Tigers boss.
“Too many times this season we’ve been too easy to get on top of. When it’s got into a set-for-set arm wrestle, we’ve always been the ones to crack first.
“In that respect, I’m really pleased and proud of the boys – but we can’t help but think it’s an opportunity missed to get two points on the board.”
