Workington Town handed new boss Chris Thorman the perfect start to his coaching career at the club with victory at Hunslet in the first round of the 1895 Cup.

It was not an easy win but in the end Town did enough to clinch a 31-28 victory in a very close game.

Town were forced into a reshuffle of the side with players that were available and they had just 14 fit players but that did not stop them as they took the battle to Hunslet from the off.

There were some big stints in the Town side, especially skipper Ollie Wilkes, Stevie Scholey and Fuifui Moimoi putting in some big minutes for their club.

And Town were rewarded for their efforts with the first try as prop Wilkes crashed over under the sticks with Carl Forber tagging on the extras.

Workington kept up the pressure and were capitalising on the errors coming out of the Hunslet side.

Then, in an almost carbon copy of the first try, it was Wilkes who bagged his second, again close to the posts and Forber kicked the two-pointer to give the visitors a 12-0 lead.

Town kept coming and it took some last gasp defence to stop Scott Rooke from touching down wide out as the visitors looked to try and extend their advantage.

But Hunslet got another set of six near the Town line as Jamie Doran looked to make the interception but could not hold on to the ball.

Hunslet looked to get off the mark as they swung the ball out to the right but then Gordon Maudling stepped in and he did make the interception and race up the field.

He made it to 35 metres from the try line before he was hauled down. Town went close with Izaac Farrell being held up over the line but they could not put any further points on in this set.

Hunslet pushed back and got another set near the Town line which they made pay as Jack Lee dummied the defence and dived over from dummy-half to get his side back in the game, Reece Dean converting.

A little kick from Doran was allowed to bounce over the line and Sean Penkywicz looked to try and get the ball down but he was pulled back for offside.

Town were then their own worst enemy as they were penalised close to their own line for lying on and Hunslet put out quick hands to the left hand side where Chris Ashton touched down. And the resulting successful kick from Dean levelled matters just before the break.

Dean tried a penalty from long distance just seconds before the break and he got the distance but it was wide of the target and the two sides went in level at the break.

Hunslet came out determined in the second half and Doran was hailed for a great effort as he got himself in between the home attackers and the ball to halt what looked like a try.

But moments later Nyle Flynn got Hunslet in front for the first time after a break from Halafihi as the hail began to strike at the South Leeds Stadium and Dean's two-pointer took the score out to 18-12.

Declan O'Donnell then got Town back into it as he scored his first try for the club, from dummy-half, burrowing over, and Forber's conversion again levelled the scores.

Then a quick Doran kick to the corner allowed Scott Rooke to dive over, with Forber converting from the touchline to take Town ahead once again in a see-saw game.

Perry Singleton limped from the field in a worrying sight for Town as Town went steaming forward again but some tough tackling kept them out.

Danny Tickle released some pressure from Town as he came away from his own try line and they pinned Hunslet back into their own half as they looked to keep their lead.

And in a crucial move by Town, Wilkes bagged his hat-trick as Penkywicz put in a neat little kick on the last and as it ricocheted about, Wilkes got a hand to it.

Although credit has to be given to O'Donnell whose cheeky interception led to Town getting the ball back for this key set of six. Forber conversion pulled Town out to a 12-point lead.

Some great tackling from Town, in particular Maudling, put Hunslet out into touch as they looked to try and find a way through the visiting defence.

Doran thought about a drop-goal with 10 minutes to go and then changed his mind and went for the line but he was pulled back for an obstruction and Hunslet were to get another chance.

And they took it with both hands as Jimmy Watson danced through the gap to touch down after they created an overlap and Dean's conversion pulled them back to within six points of Town.

Workington got a scrum and Caine Barnes made a great run towards the line before he was hauled down and Wilkes was also halted just short looking for his fourth.

O'Donnell, who was making a great impression on his first appearance for the club, was held up over the line before they forced a drop-out with a dangerous-looking final kick.

And Town made that set of six count as they got themselves near to the line and Doran landed a drop-goal to pull his side that crucial extra point ahead.

Then, with the clock ticking right down, a fantastic effort from Tom Ashton saw him race down the touchline and round the full-back to score but thankfully for the visitors, the goal was short.

But it still set up a grandstand finish to this game with Hunslet with the ball in hand. Some pressure was relieved as Town got a scrum after a knock-on from Hunslet and in the end they held out despite pressure from the home side.