BATLEY BULLDOGS 16 SALFORD 18
KEITH McGHIE, Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, Sunday

BATLEY might be through to the play-offs but they still haven’t beaten Salford since September 1981 after Kieran Dixon’s conversion of Toby Hughes’ 67th-minute try earned Dave Hewitt’s side a deserved success.

The win ended a run of five straight defeats and sent Salford away for the close-season on a high, while the Bulldogs dropped to tenth, so face a trip to Sheffield for a knockout contest.

The encounter was always going to largely surround the final home games in the long and distinguished careers of Bulldogs talisman Alistair Leak and fellow stalwart Lucas Walshaw, who have announced they will retire at the end of the season.

Prior to the match, both hooker Leak and secondrow Walshaw were welcomed by a guard of honour from their teammates. 

Salford, playing down the slope, opened the scoring in the seventh minute when a short Brad Dwyer pass sent Joe Hartley over on the left. Dixon landed a fine conversion – the first of his three from three.

Batley’s Evan Hodgson was sinbinned on 14 minutes for a foul after the visitors had been caught behind their own goal-line. Yet with the hosts reduced to twelve, they scored twice.

Joe Burton crossed wide out and Ben Reynolds, from a similar position to Dixon, landed the kick to level.

Then Reynolds’ precise looping diagonal kick was claimed by Oliver Greensmith, who stooped down to score.

An at one time 6-1 penalty count helped the hosts stay at the top of the notorious hill, with an indiscretion costing Salford another two points through a Reynolds penalty-goal to make it 12-6.

However Hughes couldn’t believe the space ahead of him as he darted through a massive gap after 33 minutes, with Dixon bringing matters level once more.

Batley piled on the pressure after the interval, forcing Salford to drop out twice in the opening few minutes of the second half, with Derrell Olpherts eventually running onto a grubber to edge them back in front.

Salford made matters worse for themselves when Brad Dwyer was sinbinned for dissent after 48 minutes.

But, not unlike Batley, the loss of a man seemed to galvanise the visitors, who were cheered on by a notably sizeable travelling support.

Walshaw got involved in a minor confrontation as the penalties now began to mount against Batley.

Following a lengthy series of Salford sets, the pressure was finally relieved by a Hartley handling error.

However just as Batley might have thought they had weathered the storm, Hughes chased his own neat kick through, which bounced up kindly for him to score, and Dixon’s kick put Salford ahead.

Reynolds and Reiss Butterworth both had chances to make the pendulum swing again but both try claims were ruled out.

GAMESTAR: Salford stand-off Toby Hughes scored two telling tries.

GAMEBREAKER: Hughes’ second score which set up Kieran Dixon’s match-winning conversion.

MATCHFACTS

BULLDOGS
1 Robbie Butterworth
2 Joe Burton
20 Jack Hudson
25 Derrell Olpherts
3 Oliver Greensmith
6 Ben Reynolds
14 Ben White
17 Liam Kirk
9 Alistair Leak
13 Robson Stevens
11 Dane Manning
12 Lucas Walshaw
18 Evan Hodgson
Subs (all used)
14 Ben White
19 Jonah Parsons
21 Luca Atkinson
27 Ronan Dixon

Tries: Burton (16), Greensmith (22), Olpherts (46)
Goals: Reynolds 2/4
Sin bin: Hodgson (14) – foul play

SALFORD
1 Kieran Dixon
39 Callum Green
12 Oliver Garmston
20 Joe Hartley
5 Jack Holmes
7 Toby Hughes
28 Lewis Pilling
14 Finley Yates
9 Brad Dwyer
37 Jack Bibby
33 Cole Oakley
26 Reece Stanton
13 Charlie Glover
Subs (all used)
22 Corey-Jay Sharpe
25 Sadiq Ayanlaja-Lowo
29 Oliver Polec
32 Joe Baldwin

Tries: Hartley (7), Hughes (33, 67)
Goals: Dixon 3/3
Sin bin: Dwyer (48) – dissent

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6, 10-6, 12-6, 12-12; 16-12, 16-18

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Bulldogs: Dane Manning; Salford: Toby Hughes

Penalty count: 8-10
Half-time: 12-12
Referee: Ryan Cox
Attendance: 1,440