SALFORD 6 WIDNES VIKINGS 32
KASEY SMITH, CorpAcq Stadium, Sunday
WIDNES grabbed a comfortable victory over Salford as they extended their league winning streak to four.
It was a game in which the Vikings were rarely tested, though Salford put in a determined shift to keep it competitive for much of the first hour.
Widnes showed late on why they remain in step with the chasing pack behind London Broncos at the top of the table, but for much of the game, it never quite felt like they were running at full throttle.
Salford, bolstered by five loanees from Super League clubs, often frustrated their opponents.
But while showing plenty of resolve, opportunities were scarce as the sheer size of the Widnes pack maintained control, preventing Salford from building pressure or testing the visiting backline with their last-play kicks.
Warrington loanee Leon Hayes was once again a stand-out. On his last appearance at the CorpAcq Stadium he landed a 40-metre field-goal to secure a dramatic 29–28 Salford victory over Batley.
Now lining up for the opposition, it was his well-timed pass to Mike Butt which helped send Widnes into the lead, an advantage they never relinquished.
Widnes found themselves in again and it was a poor defensive read from debutant Dan Sarbah. Rushing off the line to stop Joe Edge, he instead created space for Butt to break through and grab a second.
After absorbing several Widnes surges to the line, the manner of the next try felt almost inevitable.
A short pass found Danny Langtree, whose strength carried him through the weary Salford defence as he crashed over to score. Hayes converted his first of four from six.
Three consecutive set restarts just before half-time gave Salford valuable field position, and they almost broke through when Cole Oakley tried to wriggle his way over, but Widnes – at the first time of asking – stood firm on their own line.
Early in the second half, a Widnes error gave Salford a scrum just ten metres out, but Sam Bowring couldn’t hold onto a short drop-off pass from Finley Yates early in the tackle count, and the chance was gone as quickly as it arrived.
Then a spiralling, high Harry Smith kick caught Ryan Ince out of position and, as he dived to gather the ball, he fumbled.
In the next move, Smith nearly found his way over, but Widnes survived with Salford lacking a cutting edge.
Widnes quickly shook off their early second-half rustiness and soon found themselves over the line again, with Butt diving in for what would have been his third. However, Salford were spared when the referee ruled a forward pass.
Their relief was short-lived. Just a minute later, Edge intercepted Smith’s pass and sprinted clear to further extend Widnes’ lead.
A Tom Gilmore 40/20 allowed Ryan Brown to get on the scoresheet after 59 minutes, and Edge made the scoreline more favourable soon after.
Salford restored some pride late on when Joe Baldwin pounced on a low Brad Dwyer kick to score.
GAMESTAR: Widnes centre Joe Edge proved a nightmare to deal with and his efforts were rewarded with two tries.
GAMEBREAKER: Edge’s intercept helped put Widnes 20-0 up, giving Salford a mountain to climb.
MATCHFACTS
SALFORD
39 Jenson Windley
30 Dan Sarbah
31 James Duffy
20 Joe Hartley
38 Keane Gilford
7 Toby Hughes
6 Harry Smith
10 Owen Haldenby
9 Brad Dwyer
37 Jack Bibby
33 Cole Oakley
12 Ollie Garmston
42 Shaun Costello
Subs (all used)
32 Joe Baldwin
8 Sam Bowring
29 Isaac Reid
14 Finley Yates
Tries: Baldwin (74)
Goals: Smith 1/1
VIKINGS
23 Nathan Connell
2 Mike Butt
4 Joe Edge
3 Jack Owens
5 Ryan Ince
26 Leon Hayes
7 Tom Gilmore
8 Dan Murray
9 Jordan Johnstone
21 Jay Chapelhow
18 Morgan McWhirter
11 Sam Wilde
15 Lewis Hall
Subs (all used)
14 Matty Fozard
16 Danny Langtree
20 Jack Billington
29 Ryan Brown
Tries: Butt (8, 27), Langtree (32), Edge (55, 64), Brown (59)
Goals: Hayes 4/6
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-8, 0-14; 0-20, 0-26, 0-32, 6-32
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Salford: Cole Oakley; Vikings: Joe Edge
Penalty count: 2-3
Half-time: 0-14
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas