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Salford City Reds 16 Widnes 16

17/ 4/2008

JIM Kear left the Willows with a big smile on his face on Friday night.

For he knows that Salford will be easy pickings for his Wakefield side if they play like this in Sunday’s Challenge Cup tie.

The Wakefield coach attended the clash between the only two sides in National League One with 100 per cent records to pick up some tips ahead of the televised clash.

And he will have been glad to learn that Salford do not cope well under pressure.

The Reds were poor in the first half but their impressive defending paved the way for them to trail just 8-6 at the half-time break.

Inspired by substitute prop Philip Leuluai’s barnstorming surges down the middle and skipper Malc Alker’s phenomenal workrate, Salford improved out of sight at the start of the second half and they looked to have the game won when leading 16-8 with just 15 minutes remaining.

But Widnes have proven this season that they never know when they are beaten.

Stephen Bannister’s shocking pass straight into touch opened the door for the Vikings to apply some pressure. And Salford well and truly buckled under it when it came.

The defending for Widnes’ late tries via Danny Hill and Gavin Dodd left a lot to be desired.

Thankfully, ex-Red Tim Hartley failed to convert both tries to leave the score locked at 16-16 with nine minutes left to play.

Widnes never threatened to score again while Salford had more than enough possession to pinch the spoils. But their attacks were far too manic.

And, bafflingly, young half backs Richard Myler and Stefan Ratchford were both guilty of attempting long range drop goals early in the tackle count.

The brain explosions were not too costly with Salford maintaining their unbeaten league record and picking up two points to secure their place at the top of the table.

But Salford’s inability to show some nous when it matters most, and the fact that they were out played and out enthused early doors, are cause for concerns.

Salford are not used to playing under pressure with most of their games being cake-walks this season.

Widnes provided their sternest test so far. The Vikings have a strong and experienced squad and they were well up for the game, as were their fans with the 6,143 crowd providing a cracking atmosphere.

It was a game that Salford may well have lost had it not been for the inspirational Leuluai and Alker.

But Salford’s try scoring glory belonged to Andrew Brocklehurst, Andrew Ballard and Jordan Turner.

Brocklehurst showed great footwork to find a gap in Widnes’ defence on 27 minutes, Ballard finished off a flowing move from right to left on 50 minutes and Turner slipped out of a tackle to touch down four minutes later.

Team: Paul; Ballard, Littler, Gardner, White; Ratchford, Myler; Nash, Alker, Stapleton, Sibbit, Brocklehurst, Turner. Subs used: Adamson, Jewitt, Bannister, Leuluai. Tries: Brocklehurst, Ballard, Turner. Goals: Ballard (3). Attendance: 6,143.