Match report by Ken Roberts
Salford City Roosters recorded their first “double” of the season over fellow relegation strugglers Wigan St. Judes with a resounding, in the end, 48 -16 victory which saw 8 different try scorers and 4 of them scoring their first tries of the season. Roosters missed 3 players from the 15 that travelled to Hull the previous week but had a full compliment of 17 with Tom Pratt making a welcome return from injury along with Joe Connor and Carl Mort playing his first game for the club in 2 years. Christian Higgins was outstanding in the centre but he was “pipped” for the man of the match award by Connor.
There was a feeling throughout the game that the Roosters could win comfortably but in the first half they forced the pass time and again wasting chance after chance, and when the visitors took the lead early in the second half it looked like it was going to be another case of “what could have been”. That is not as it turned out though as the Roosters clicked into gear in the last half hour and put their visitors to the sword.
Roosters took the lead with just 3 minutes gone when Will Rigby off loaded out of the tackle and Higgins dived over for a try that Jordan Parker converted (6-0), but the Wigan side came close on 6 minutes when Tom Smith made a try saving tackle, holding up Gareth Thomas over the line, and they did draw level on 17 minutes when Dean Hunt “dummied” his way over the line and round the posts, leaving Scott Robinson an easy conversion (6-6).
On 28 minutes Rigby made a great break across the half way mark and handed on to Mark Thomas who “dummied” to pass and ran 30 metres to score in the corner, albeit too far out for parker to convert. 10-6 remained the score into the half time break but the Salford side were seething at having 2 tries disallowed on the intervention of a touch judge after the referee appeared ready to award both. On 33 minutes Higgins broke the defensive line and sent Bradley White over, only to be pulled back for an earlier knock on, and 3 minutes later Higgins was denied a try between the sticks for a forward pass from Parker.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that Higgins had his try ruled out for a forward pass St. Judes took the lead 3 minutes into the second half off a pass that was level at best. Smith and Pratt both did well to chase back when hooker Nathan Bevan broke from half way, but although they got their hands on him he still managed to ground the ball, and Robinson’s conversion put Roosters behind 10-12.
On 47 minutes Higgins again made a break and White was stopped just short of the line before Lee Salisbury darted over from dummy half with Parker adding the extras (16-12), but if Roosters were upset with St. Judes previous effort they were incensed by the next! The Wiganers got the ball back from the re-start as Roosters allowed the ball to bounce dead and two forward passes later Nathan Jones scored in the corner, although Robinson missed the kick to leave the game tied at 16-16.
That was it for St. Judes however as the Salford side, spurred on by a sense of injustice, “clicked” into gear and went on to score 30 unanswered points. Carl Mort started the “ball rolling”, powering between the stocks on 53 minutes to leave Parker an easy conversion (22-16), although Parker found the angle too tight when Higgins went over in the corner for his second try on 59 minutes (26-16).
Once the Roosters got 2 scores in front the visitors’ heads went down and it seemed that the home side would score with every attack. On 63 minutes White squeezed through a gap to grab himself a try, Parker converting (32-16) and on 69 minutes Lee Salisbury sent Jake Lynch crashing over 15 metres from the corner, too far out for Parker to improve (36-16).
Parker ended up with 5 conversions however as he converted both of the Roosters’ final tries which came on 76 and 79 minutes. The first came when Smith broke down the wing and found Andrew Muscat in support, the full back sending Danny Trimble over for a try wide out (42-16). It has to be said though that there was an element of luck with the final effort.
White attempted an audacious long range drop goal and the ball bounced back off the post. St. Judes full back, and man of the match Barry Rothwell looked favourite to get to the loose ball until Smith scooped it up and left him on the floor as he strolled between the sticks (48-16).
Roosters are now 6 points behind Elland with 7 games left to play and although relegation looks a very real threat, more performances like this could yet save the Roosters, particularly as the Halifax club still have to visit Moat Hall.
