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Salford City Reds 8 Wakefield Wildcats 38

Dave Lawrenson
24/ 4/2008

SO MUCH for Salford being a Super League side playing in the National League!

Salford’s camp has openly admitted that that’s how they see themselves having ‘amassed a stronger squad this year than the one that dropped out of the top flight in 2007’.

But Wakefield made a mockery out of that belief by winning Sunday’s televised Carnegie Challenge Cup fourth round tie at a canter.

The Wildcats are by no means one of Super League’s top guns. They lie ninth in the table and are currently fielding a patched up side missing 11 first team regulars.

But, despite having home advantage, an almost full strength Salford side were brushed aside with consummate ease.

They matched the Wildcats for the first 20 minutes. But after that they struggled to keep up with the Super League pace of the game and none of their star turns rose to the occasion.

With Wakefield half backs Danny Brough and Jamie Rooney in imperious form, the Wildcats were simply too strong, too quick and too clever for the Reds.

This was supposed to be Salford’s big chance to prove that they are worthy of a Super League franchise for next year.

But, with the BBC television cameras rolling, they well and truly blew it.

It is no disgrace to lose to Wakefield, even if they do have an injury crisis. Their salary cap is four times bigger than Salford’s and they have some outstanding players in their ranks. But it was the manner of the defeat that did not sit well with Salford’s fans.

The Reds seemed to suffer from stage fright as they are capable of playing a lot better than this.

They looked devoid of ideas in attack – which was perfectly illustrated when they had four consecutive sets of six near to Wakefield’s try line in the second half without ever looking likely to score.

Salford’s defence was not much better either with Wakefield regularly finding gaping holes to run through.

And the less said about Salford’s kicking game the better. The plucky Richard Myler and Robbie Paul kicked out on the full that often that you would have sworn they were doing it on purpose.

The game may have turned out differently had the video referee not harshly ruled out a 26th minute Andy Ballard try for interference from Ian Sibbit in the build-up.

But that is just clutching at straws, particularly with Wakefield having suffered the same fate when Tevita Leo-Latu looked to have scored at the start of the second half.

The truth is that, judging on current form, Salford are not as good as they think they are.

The only positive to take from the game was that full back Karl Fitzpatrick finally returned from a shoulder injury.

He played pretty well – but hardly any of his teammates could say the same as Salford’s poor recent record in the Challenge Cup continued.

Team: Fitzpatrick; Ballard, Turner, Gardner, White; Paul, Myler; Leuluai, Alker, Stapleton, Sibbit, Brocklehurst, Adamson. Subs used: Ratchford, Jewitt, Highton, Littler. Try: Alker. Goals: Ballard (2). Attendance: 2,159.