Match Report by Ken Roberts
Once again a depleted Salford City Roosters side battled valiantly without any reward, as they lost at home to third placed Normanton Knights, a defeat, which combined with results elsewhere, confirms their relegation to the NCL division 2 for next season.
Full back Andrew Muscat and forward Jake Lynch were both away representing Malta in a European championship qualifier against Spain in Valencia, but able replacements were found in Mark Thomas and Paul Morgan. Steve Barry also returned for his first game since May which gave the Roosters 15 players, still two short of a full team. That inability to “refresh” the team regularly was ultimately the reason behind the defeat as the visitors scored 5 of their 6 tries in the last 20 minutes of either half.
Wingers rarely get the recognition they deserve unless they score a “hat full” of tries in a game but on this occasion both Tom Smith and Will Rigby had probably their best games for the club. Smith showed that he can score tries the previous week, but today he proved that he can defend equally well, and Rigby, who isn’t even a recognised winger, was picked out for the high “bomb” by the Wakefield side but dealt with everything they threw at him. Even their performances though were overshadowed as Joe Connor deservedly took his 5th consecutive man of the match award.
The opening exchanges were even and it looked like a tight game would follow, and that explains why, when Bradley White was tackled off the ball on 5 minutes, coach Paul Verdon indicated 2 points and White converted the penalty (2-0). It was tight for the first half hour as well, but after completing the opening set of six the home side did not manage to do that again in the first half, turning the ball over time and again, forcing themselves to defend for their lives. This they did manfully, but with a lack of replacements fatigue was always going to tell and it did.
On 29 minutes several weak attempted tackles failed to prevent the Knights scoring a length of the field try, finished off in the corner by Tom Alexander. Adrian Mulcahy failed to convert (2-4) but he did improve Patrick Waterton’s try two minutes from the break which came courtesy of players falling off the tackle again (2-10).
Roosters started the second half brightly and had Normanton held on their own try line until, on 47 minutes, a relieving penalty put them on the attack and Mulcahy’s kick to the corner saw Danny Webster show great pace to touch down just before the ball went dead (2-14).
On 51 minutes Lee Salisbury was stopped just short of the line and Connor spun out of a tackle to score half way between the posts and corner. White’s kick rebounded off the post (6-14) and White was also unlucky not to improve Connor’s second try 6 minutes later, his 22nd try in 21 games. This time he crashed over 15 metres from the corner off a Mike Foster pass after White had been held close to the line.
Suddenly, Roosters were playing with a belief in themselves again, although it appeared they would fall further behind on 61 minutes only to escape punishment in a bizarre incident. Mulcahy made a break and sent Connor Wilson over for what looked like a certain try. All the winger had to do was put the ball down but he tried to move nearer to the posts and Rigby seized on him and held him up.
Every time Roosters conceded a penalty they seemed to get punished but they were left perplexed about the 65th minute penalty that saw them slip further behind. Connor made an excellent tackle, only for the referee to rule it was a foul and Mulcahy dummied through a gap and stretched out of a tackle to score a try that he converted off the post (10-20).
Normanton ensured the points with 10 minutes to the whistle with a fine individual try from Tom Carroll, the stand off “stepping” past defenders twice before scoring under the cross bar (10-26), and four minutes from time they put the “icing on their cake” when man of the match Ryan Kelsey broke down the middle where he found Mulcahy in support to score his second try. Mulcahy also converted both of the last two tries (10-32).
