WIDNES VIKINGS 52 SALFORD 8
JAMES GORDON, DCBL Stadium, Friday
Widnes broke Salford’s resolve to hit a half-century of points and secure a 13th win in 15 games.
For at least 50 minutes, Salford made a game of it buoyed by an enthusiastic start, but the Vikings eventually showed their strength and ultimately posted 36 points without reply in the second half to ease home.
On Salford’s first visit to Widnes in eight years, it took the home side four consecutive sets to break the visitors down for the first try on six minutes, Dan Murray going the direct route and bouncing off the left-hand post on his way to crashing over the line.
Salford though were showing lots of energy in defence and nearly created an opportunity on the right when Oliver Garmston’s break ended in a penalty as Jack Holmes was taken out off the ball, their appeals for a sin bin falling on deaf ears.
From that field position, Toby Hughes’ short kick close to the line sat up for Cole Oakley, and although Kieran Dixon missed a relatively straightforward conversion they were on the board at 6-4.
Widnes exposed Salford’s narrow defence on 19 minutes for the second try, with Tom Gilmore and Jack Owens working some space for Kieran Taylor to put Mike Butt over in the left corner.
But Salford wouldn’t go away and after Brad Dwyer’s neat chip saw Oakley drag Nathan Connell in-goal and force a drop-out, Dixon’s long pass on the right found Holmes to go over for his first try of the season.
At the other end, again Widnes were forced wide to get through, Frank Sergent crawling over for the first of his two tries on his home debut on the half-hour mark to make it 16-8.
Salford went close to hitting back for a third time when Garmston was held up over the line.
Trailing 16-8 at half time, Salford knocked on from the kick-off, a further error saw them under more pressure and they succumbed four minutes in when Matty Fozard dummied his way over.
Still the Reds dug in, but when Fozard’s kick ricocheted off the post and into the hands of Jack Billington for Widnes’ fifth try, the floodgates opened.
Owens did enough to put the defenders off claiming Gilmore’s kick and it bounced up for Sergent, who again used his low centre of gravity to almost crawl over the line and score the try.
Another Gilmore kick created the eighth try for Widnes, a reverse cross-field effort that was chased down by Butt, who managed to flick it backwards in to the hands of Kieran Taylor in-goal to touch down.
Then in the final few minutes, against his former club Connell pierced through twice from deep, scoring on one occasion and putting Owens under the posts on the second to bring up the 50.
GAMESTAR: Jordan Johnstone’s work-rate helped Widnes deal with the Salford enthusiasm in the middle
GAMEBREAKER: When Fozard dummied over for a score early in the second half, the gap always looked like too big of a climb for Salford.
MATCHFACTS
VIKINGS
23 Nathan Connell
2 Mike Butt
25 Kieran Taylor
3 Jack Owens
24 Frank Sergent
17 Danny Richardson
7 Tom Gilmore
8 Dan Murray
9 Jordan Johnstone
21 Jay Chapelhow
33 Andy Badrock
11 Sam Wilde
34 Nathan Wilde
Subs (all used)
14 Matty Fozard
16 Danny Langtree
20 Jack Billington
28 Jack Houghton
Tries: Murray (8), Butt (20), Sergent (32, 63), Fozard (44), Billington (57), Taylor (68), Connell (71), Owens (75)
Goals: Richardson 8/9
SALFORD
1 Kieran Dixon
5 Jack Holmes
12 Oliver Garmston
20 Joe Hartley
38 Keane Gilford
7 Toby Hughes
39 Callum Green
37 Jack Bibby
9 Brad Dwyer
36 Danny Lynch
26 Reece Stanton
33 Cole Oakley
13 Charlie Glover
Subs (all used)
14 Finley Yates
24 Cole Appleby
25 Damola Ayanlaja-Lowo
32 Joe Baldwin
Tries: Oakley (16), Holmes (25)
Goals: Dixon 0/2
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-4, 12-4, 12-8, 16-8; 22-8, 28-8, 34-8, 40-8, 46-8, 52-8
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Vikings: Jordan Johnstone; Salford: Joe Baldwin
Penalty count: 9-6
Half-time: 16-8
Referee: Ryan Cox