Salford Red Devils head coach Paul Rowley said he was most pleased with the patience and calm shown by his players in a narrow win over Hull FC.
They were far from their scintillating attacking best in a hard-fought victory but did enough to maintain their place in the Super League play-offs with two rounds remaining.
“Coming through a tough game without it being overly pretty is a good sign. We are happy to win ugly tonight,” said Rowley.
“We have got belief in the group and we were patient. I don’t think the players were very stressed even when Hull came back at the end. That’s an admirable quality that we’ve got.
“We turned the heat up a bit defensively at the start of the second half. It was a really even game at the start and statistically, we were good but in terms of execution it was a little bit off from us.”
Next up comes a huge match at seventh-placed Castleford Tigers on Monday, when victory could all but secure a play-off spot.
“We try to focus on each game so as not to invest energy,” said Rowley. “From day one it’s always been about us and not worrying about the opposition.
“It doesn’t feel like the end of the season to us and we are fighting and fighting hard. It’s a huge fixture on Monday and no doubt the ground will be bouncing.”
