Ian Watson’s Salford Red Devils hope they won’t be caught off guard by backroom changes at Huddersfield when they take on the Giants at The AJ Bell Stadium on Friday evening, kick off 8pm.
Previous manager Paul Anderson and his assistant Kieron Purtill were sacked yesterday after a run of five straight defeats; their 10-2 home defeat to Wakefield Trinity Wildcats last Sunday proving the final straw with the Giants board.
That run of games has put Huddersfield second bottom, with only fellow county stragglers Leeds Rhinos with a worse record this year.
In a statement by the club The Giants said: “Unfortunately the simple fact is that the results this year have not been satisfactory and the Giants are not performing to the level that anyone associated with the Club expects.”
Youth coach Andy Kelly has been placed in temporary charge, and will be hoping for a performance boost under new management.
Tonight’s game will also be marked with sadness as it represents the first Super League match since the tragic death of 17-year-old Ronan Costello.
Ronan Costello – Huddersfield Giants
The Huddersfield youth player passed away after suffering an injury in Huddersfield’s U19’s game against Salford.
Costello’s family have urged any donations to be made to the Danny Jones Defibrillator fund.
Salford also struggled last week in their 8-0 defeat to Leeds, the first time this year they have failed to register a single point in a match.
Ian Watson’s men arrived at Headingley in high spirits aiming to take advantage of an out-of-form and disjointed Rhinos, however they were cast aside by Brian Mcdermott’s men without troubling the scoreboard.
In a game that represents a possible trap-door for both teams as they look to scrape a top eight place a win for either side could see them overtake Hull KR and go within four points of current eighth-place Widnes Vikings.
Salford have the edge in terms of recent meetings, having won a nail-biting encounter at the John Smith’s stadium 26-24, and have a 19-16 record against Huddersfield since the dawn of the summer era.
Salford Red Devils 19-man squad: Bibby; Carney; Dobson; Flanagan; G Griffin; Hauraki; Jones; Joseph; Kopczak; Krasniqi; Lannon; Lui; Murdoch; O’Brien; S’au; Tomkins; Vidot; J Walne; Williams
Main image: © SteveMcPix2016
