'Put us in the predicament we're in now': Tony Smith makes admission over Hull FC's play-off bid

A form spike has given the Black and Whites an outside chance of making the play-offs but they could be made to rue a seven-match losing run at the start of the Super League campaign.

Last week's defeat at Huddersfield Giants left Smith's men four points off the pace with seven games remaining, starting with Sunday's visit of relegation-threatened Wakefield Trinity.

Smith is renowned for only focusing on the next fixture but concedes that Hull may have given themselves too much to do.

"I don't look at it or worry about it," he said. "As I keep saying, we'll end up where we deserve to.

"There's a whole lot of different results that could affect us. There were certainly some results early in the season that have affected us and put us in the predicament we're in now.

"All we can do is deal with what's in front of us and that's Wakey. If we get that done, who knows."

The Black and Whites face a Wakefield team fresh from a fourth home win in a row, a 42-6 demolition of Warrington Wolves.

Trinity have yet to taste success on the road this year but Smith expects Mark Applegarth's side to arrive at the MKM Stadium with a spring in their step.

"They're having a crack and full of beans at the moment," he said.

"They've found a way to improve their form. They're playing enthusiastically and didn't make many errors last week against a team that made a whole lot of errors. They took advantage of that and played really well.

"They'll have taken a whole lot of confidence and will be feeling good about where they're at.

"Like the rest of the league, they've got to the stage where anybody can beat anybody on any particular day. They proved that against a team like Warrington.

"They certainly put them in their place and put on a really thorough performance to embarrass visiting Warrington."

Seemingly dead and buried only a few weeks ago, Trinity pulled level on points with Castleford Tigers last week.

"They'll be very confident and are playing with the monkey off their back," added Smith.

"Wakey have got a habit of doing that. They usually come good at this time of the year and play in a manner that puts other teams that haven't been in that precarious position under pressure. Wakey usually come through, as history shows."