Salford Red Devils 14-6 Castleford Tigers: Play-off chasing hosts battle past Super League strugglers
Greg Eden had given Castleford Tigers the lead inside the first three minutes at the AJ Bell Stadium; Brodie Croft's converted score drew Salford Red Devils level followed by Shane Wright crossing in the second half; Marc Sneyd added two conversions and a penalty for the hosts
Last Updated: 14/04/23 6:07am
Shane Wright got the crucial second-half try which helped Salford Red Devils cement their place in the Betfred Super League's play-off places with a 14-6 win over Castleford Tigers.
There was nothing to separate the teams in Thursday's clash at the AJ Bell Stadium at half-time, with Greg Eden giving the Tigers the lead inside the first three minutes and Brodie Croft finishing for last year's play-off semi-finalists to bring them level as the interval approached.
Both teams were denied tries by a combination of errors and strong defence, but forward Wright powered over midway through the second half for a try which broke the deadlock and made it advantage Salford.
- Salford Red Devils vs Castleford Tigers: As it happened!
- Super League standings | Fixtures | Rugby league on Sky Sports
Marc Sneyd, who converted both of his side's tries, followed that up by giving the Red Devils even more breathing room with a goal from a penalty, and Paul Rowley's side were able to see out the game to boost their top-six hopes and inflict more misery on struggling Cas.
Story of the game
The Tigers, who were without an away win this season and had just two wins from eight games to their name, got off to a perfect start, scoring on their first attack of the game in the third minute.
Salford were marched downfield because of a penalty - Sneyd with a high shot on Alex Mellor - and the ball was quickly moved to the left edge where a long pass from Kenny Edwards found winger Eden in plenty of space to touch down. Gareth Widdop converted brilliantly from the touchline to give Castleford a 6-0 lead.
Salford produced a lively response, creating a number of opportunities only to be thwarted by some determined scrambling defence from Castleford.
Team news
Salford Red Devils were boosted by the earlier than expected return of Oliver Partington following a knee injury. Andy Ackers and Tyler Dupree started for the Red Devils on the day they were named in the England training squad for the forthcoming international against France.
Stand-off Gareth Widdop made a welcome return for Castleford Tigers after missing last week's win over Wakefield Trinity through illness. There was also a recall for Adam Milner after he sat out the last two matches through suspension, but Joe Westerman was unavailable as he served a one-match ban.
The best of these chances came 12 minutes before half-time when former Red Devils full-back Niall Evalds produced a stunning tackle on Salford's Joe Burgess when he seemed destined to score in the corner.
It took until the 37th minute for Salford to finally get off the mark and it was a stunning effort well worth the wait. Kallum Watkins broke clear from inside his own half and flicked a pass to Ryan Brierley who raced away down the touchline.
Brierley drew the last man before his perfectly weighted angled kick sat up perfectly for the supporting Croft and the reigning Man of Steel collected the ball before touching down under the posts. Sneyd's conversion ensured the game was all square at half-time, 6-6.
There were opportunities for both teams as the second half got off to an end-to-end if scrappy start. Burgess was held up over the Castleford try line before a last-ditch tackle from Sneyd denied Evalds from touching down under the posts.
But it was Salford who scored next to give them the lead for the first time in the game after 57 minutes. Sneyd's short pass was taken on the charge by Wright and he crashed over from close range under the posts. Sneyd's conversion made it 12-6 for the home side.
A superb last-ditch tackle by Brierley on Adam Milner as he chased his own kick 16 minutes from the end preserved Salford's lead but Castleford continued to threaten.
There was a collective sigh of relief from the home fans when an off-the-ball hit by Milner 10 minutes from time resulted in a penalty chance for Sneyd and he was successful from 30 metres out to make it 14-6.
What they said
Salford Red Devils head coach Paul Rowley
"For periods in that game, I thought it was like a game of tig-and-pass - two sides who like to play rugby but neither side wanted to defend.
"We kept it to six points and the fact the second try took the game away from Castleford probably tells you everything you need to know about the game. It wasn't a spectacle, but we got there...so there are some positives for us."
Castleford Tigers interim head coach Andy Last
"It was really difficult to stomach and the boys are absolutely gutted, as I am.
"We put a lot of effort in, but effort doesn't get you the two points. We just need to be a little more clinical and come up with better decisions to put pressure on the opposition."
Player of the match Shane Wright
"It was a hard game. The short turnaround [from the win over Leigh last Saturday] probably didn't help us, but they turned up ready to play.
"But the boys dug deep and we had to do it hard right to the last whistle."
What's next?
Salford are at home again on Sunday, April 23 when they host Catalans Dragons. Castleford are back on home turf too on Friday, April 21 when they face Hull Kingston Rovers in a match which is live on Sky Sports.
