A Challenge Cup win in 2005 was the first piece of silverware the people from the west side of Hull had to celebrate in 20 years.

It was a long, barren run for a club who had been used to regular cup final appearances and cup and league successes.

The Airlie Birds were formed in 1865 by a group of ex-public schoolboys from York and after a series of different home grounds they settled on The Boulevard, where a crowd of 8,000 turned up in September 1895 to watch the team beat Liversedge in their first game there.

Between 1908-10, Hull achieved moderate success by reaching three consecutive Northern Union Cup Finals - but losing them all.

The club hit the headlines in 1913 when they spent £600 plus £14 a match for the services of Hunslet's Billy Batten and a year later that move paid off as the Airlie Birds lifted their first piece of silverware when they beat Wakefield to win the Challenge Cup.

Local rivalry intensified in the 1920s with rivals Hull Kingston Rovers - a team made up of players and fans from the east side of the city. In 1921 Hull beat their rivals to the Yorkshire Cup, but lost out to them in the county championship.

History was created in 1954 when the club appointed Welshman Roy Francis as coach - the first black professional coach in any British team sport.

He led them to the League championship in 1956 and again two years later, but cup triumphs proved beyond them as they lost six cup finals between 1955 and 1960.

Hull next won the league in 1983 under coach Arthur Bunting and also reached the Premiership final, the Challenge Cup final and the Yorkshire Cup final in an extraordinary season, but the Yorkshire Cup was their only reward from the three finals.

When the Super League was formed, Hull missed out on a place in the first season but were promoted in 1997 and amalgamated with Super League newcomers Gateshead Thunder two years later after David Lloyd withdrew his financial support.

At the beginning of 2003 and after 107 years at The Boulevard, Hull moved to the state-of-the-art KC Stadium and shared it with the city's football team, Hull City.

Former England coach John Kear took over in 2005 and in his first season steered the team to the Challenge Cup final where they beat Leeds 25-24 in an amazing game at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Peter Sharp replaced Kear in 2006 and guided them to second place in the Super League, only for the Airlie Birds to lose 26-4 to League leaders St Helens in the Grand Final.