Justin Holbrook was relieved as Saints made it through to the semi finals of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup.
His side beat the holders 25-22 to set up a date with Catalans.
“My overriding emotion is relief, I think that it a fair answer to give,” he said after the clash. “They kept on coming and you could see why they have won it for the last two years. We were ready to take control but never had it.
“I have to give Hull a massive rap for the way they played. They stuck it to us and I was happy to come away with the win.
“When they lost a few to the bin we panicked a bit and probably expected to put them away. I thought our game management struggled at times – particularly at the back end of the second half in the as we began trying kick well clear of a good opposition. We have to be a little more patient in that area.
“On the flip side I am happy with how hard we worked to win. We only won by three but I didn’t feel too threatened on our own line at the end of the game.
“We will learn a lot from that but I am just relieved as they are a good opposition. I thought we created a lot of things but didn’t convert as we might have done in recent weeks.
“Regan Grace was outstanding; he had his best game for us today.”
He continued: “We can now look forward to the semi final. It is a long way away though. Catalans are improving a lot and will have that time to gel further. Until then I am happy to still be alive in the comp and happy to be in the semi final.”
Next up for Saints are Hull KR this coming Friday June 8 at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
Tickets for the game are now on sale from the Ticket Office, by calling 01744 455 052 or online here.