Reds Stoop to conquer Quins
Salford bounced back from two heavy losses with a resounding 34-16 triumph over Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop.
Last Updated: 30/04/11 8:25pm
Harlequins have now gone eight games without a win in Super League after Salford triumphed 34-16 at the Twickenham Stoop.
Youngster Adam Clay crossed twice on his debut as the City Reds bounced back from heavy defeats to Warrington and Huddersfield over the long Easter weekend in impressive fashion.
The result means they leap above their opponents in the table, with Quins having now not tasted victory since stunning St Helens back on March 11.
They had enjoyed the perfect start on Saturday too, with Mike Burnett breaking the deadlock with not much more than a minute on the clock.
Clay double
However, Clay levelled matters at 4-4 when he worked his way over from close range out wide on the right.
The winger grabbed another to put the visitors ahead for the first time, shrugging off a poor attempt of a tackle from David Howell to burst clear, with his effort sparking a real purple patch for the Reds.
Luke Patten's short pass allowed Wayne Godwin to get over to the left of the uprights and two sets later the creator had scored himself, dummying his way through rather than giving the supporting Clay a chance to go for a hat-trick.
A fourth Salford try left their hosts with a mountain to climb, as Chad Randall's charge down of Daniel Holdsworth's kick broke kindly to let Chris Nero gallop away to touch down three minutes before the break.
The game would have already been out of reach had Holdsworth managed to land more than just the one goal, although his three misses did come out wide.
Briefly cut
The gap was briefly cut down to 12 points at the start of the second period when Luke Ambler barged his way over underneath the uprights, leaving an easy conversion for Luke Gale.
Crucially, though, when Quins looked set to score again, Oliver Wilkes was somehow prevented from grounding the ball when he was over the line.
Instead, a controversial try from Iafeta Paleaaesina at the other end put paid to any slim hopes of an unlikely comeback from Rob Powell's troops.
The former Wigan forward - starting a match for the first time for his new club - looked to have made a double movement in putting the ball down over the whitewash, however the television official ruled in his favour.
Holdsworth landed the conversion and was also on target with a penalty that was quickly followed by Salford's seventh and final try from Vinnie Anderson, who swapped passes with Stefan Ratchford after pinching a Howell pass.
Chris Melling rounded out the scoring with a try in the left corner but it was no more than a consolation effort for the struggling capital club.
