Salford Red Devils snatched a hard-fought 18-14 victory at the AJ Bell on Sunday against Catalans Dragons.
Sadly, if Marwan Koukash thought that offering free admission would bring him a packed-out stadium he was to be disappointed.
However in front of 5,078 fans the Devils dug deep to give assistant coach Ian Watson his first win as he covered for Iestyn Harris, who is off sick and back at home in Wales.
In the post-match press conference former Swinton Lions legend Watson told SalfordOnline.com: “I’m really pleased with the way we came through at the end of the match.
“I spoke to Iestyn (Harris) this morning and he wished all the lads well for today.
Salford’s litany of injuries continues, Watson confirmed. Before kick-off the ex-Wales international said he only had 19 players available for selection, which showed in the first 60 minutes at the AJ Bell.
After the full-time whistle he confirmed: “Rangi has a sore back. His scans have come back clear, but we don’t want to play someone who isn’t feeling right.
“Moz was limping about in our session yesterday for a good 30 minutes before putting his hand up to say he wasn’t right, but that the professionalism of the man, he wanted to be out there.”
It shows Salford are capable of winning ugly when necessary and speaks volumes about the mentality of the squad.
Recap: Live coverage of Salford Red Devils vs Catalans Dragons
There were two very encouraging performances for Salford in Junior Sa’u, who seemed to be playing on one leg for the first half, and Niall Evalds, who looked so assured at full-back it was hard to imagine he was left out in favour of the now departed Kevin Locke.
Evalds truly is a young player Salford Red Devils need to keep hold of and build the squad around.
Next up for the Devils are Hull KR. Given how narrow the defeat to KR was over in Yorkshire a week ago, there will be one or two players wanting to put right the errors of that evening.
A win here would mean Salford avoid a battle for their Super League place and would provide some extra confidence, especially given the way Leigh dumped them out of the Challenge Cup.
With the arrival of former Australia coach Tim Sheens imminent, the fans’ chant of ‘Salford Reds are rising’ will seem more real. If not this season, then certainly the next.
In this state, Salford are no title-winning team, far from it, but with a few tweaks, a dash of Mr Sheen’s polish, and the continued backing of the owner and fans, a top 8 finish is not beyond the realms of possibility.
Picture © SteveMcPix
