Just what do Huddersfield Giants have to do to win a Super League game right now?

Even when they do enough to secure the League points, which was the case against Salford, they simply can’t do it.

For large parts of this contest, they were the better side and deserved to win, particularly after producing a dominant first-half showing.

But the fact they were just 12-10 ahead at the break after being on top for long periods, and then kept allowing their visitors the opportunity to find a way back into the game when they looked like they might be able to turn the screw in the second half, was ultimately to prove their downfall.

Huddersfield Giants V Salford Red Devils.

Given the weight of possession and territorial advantage, there’s no way the Giants should have held just the slender two-point interval lead.

They deserved to be at least three scores ahead, if not more.

Almost all the play was in the Salford half of the field, with both the Red Devils’ scores coming against the run of play and on rare excursions into opposition territory.

In contrast, the visitors were forced to soak up lots of pressure, with Eorl Crabtree, Jake Connor, Kyle Wood, Ryan Hinchcliffe and Sam Rapira all held up on or over the tryline, hence the frustration that it was just 12-10 at the break.

But given the fact the Giants were twice behind and found ways to regain the lead was still a positive.

The concession of the opening try to former Giants prop Craig Kopczak on Salford’s first attack after 17 minutes could have demoralised the hosts.

Fortunately, it only added to their determination to press ahead, with their reward finally coming in the 27th minute when Danny Brough’s inside pass gave Ukuma Ta’ai the space to rampage over for converted try No1.

Huddersfield Giants V Salford Red Devils.

But the Giants’ generosity once again reared its ugly head as a Michael Dobson high kick was allowed to bounce and Gareth O’Brien readily accepted the gift to race over for Dobson to convert after 31 minutes.

Once again, however, Huddersfield found a way back and within four minutes had regained the lead.

A Jermaine McGillvary burst gave Ryan Brierley the chance to race free, and although he was stopped, the ball was shifted to the left for Brough’s chip to the corner to be misread by Josh Griffin to give Connor a walk-in.

Brough’s goal nudged the home side back ahead.

But the self doubt crept back in within five minutes of the re-start when Mason Caton-Brown sped down the touchline and fed the supporting Griffin to make up for his earlier error to cross.

Dobson’s goal put his side four points ahead for a third time.

That was turned into six five minutes later with a Dobson penalty under the posts and the pressure was cranked up another notch.

Having said that, such was the see-saw nature of the contest that it was no great surprise that the Giants were the next to strike when Kyle Wood and Brierley linked up for Cudjoe to find Jermaine McGillvary to squeeze in at the corner.

Huddersfield Giants V Salford Red Devils.

Brough’s brilliant touchline conversion levelled the scores with just over 20 minutes remaining.

And four minutes later the Giants were ahead again as Ta’ai charged through for his second, which Brough again converted.

Justin Carney made sure there was no time to relax as he showed all his strength to touch down in the corner in the 68th minute, although O’Brien failed to add the extras to keep Huddersfield fractionally ahead.

That lead was cancelled out almost immediately from the re-start as Ben Murdoch-Masila’s break was finished off in the opposite corner by Niall Evalds for a second converted try in the space of two minutes.

It was to prove the final nail in the Giants’ coffin.