Browse Sections

• Salford City Reds
• Local football
• Local cricket

Whitehaven 26 Salford City Reds 22

Dave Lawrenson
5/ 6/2008

SALFORD’S unbeaten record in National League One was ended in embarrassing fashion at Whitehaven – and no one can say that it had not been coming.

Widnes, Sheffield and Celtic had all come agonisingly close to humbling the full-time title favourites.

There is no doubt that the Reds have an immensely strong squad of players for this level of rugby league.

But, to date, the whole has by no means been greater than the sum of their parts.

Slow starts and patchy form has become the norm for the Salford club this season and their luck was bound to run out sooner or later.

The only surprise was that it was a 17-year-old schoolboy who knocked them off their perch.

A-Level student Greg McNally took advantage of some sloppy Salford defending to score a hat-trick of tries on his Whitehaven debut having been in class just hours earlier.

The rookie’s heroics, plus the fact that Tane Manihera knocked over all seven of his attempts at goal, gave Whitehaven their first win against Salford since 1984.

Other embarrassing facts from Salford’s point of view are that Whitehaven, having been forced to release some key players due to a financial crisis, started the game second from bottom in the table and lost by a club record score of 106-8 in their previous game at home to Wigan in the Challenge Cup.

No wonder most people expected Thursday night’s game to be a certain away win.

But the fact is that, the way that Salford have been playing lately, nothing is certain.

Whitehaven seemed to want it more in what was Salford’s third successive televised clash.

The home side were more inventive, more expansive and, with former Red Gary Broadbent outstanding at full back, more resolute when defending their own try line.

Salford often looked bereft of ideas when within striking distance of the whitewash.

Three of their four tries came via close range power surges from Craig Stapleton, Adam Sidlow and Robbie Paul, who, along with skipper Malc Alker, Phil Leuluai and Jordan Turner, were the only Salford players to emerge from the game with any credit.

Salford’s final try saw Turner’s glorious long pass send speedster Paul White haring over in the corner to make the score 26-22 with 12 minutes to go.

But, unlike in the Reds’ aforementioned games against Widnes, Sheffield and Celtic, Shaun McRae’s troops were unable to provide a late rally to drag themselves out of the fire.

In the end, Salford paid the price for Leuluai, Jewitt and Sidlow (twice) giving away unnecessary penalties within kicking distance.

Salford actually scored a try more than Whitehaven.

And Salford’s woe was made all the worse by the fact that Ian Sibbit lasted just 13 minutes on his comeback from injury having hurt his knee in a no-holds-barred gang tackle.

Team: Fitzpatrick; Gardner, Littler, Wilshere, White; Paul, Myler; Highton, Alker, Stapleton, Sibbit, Brocklehurst, Turner. Subs used: Jewitt, Ratchford, Sidlow, Leuluai. Tries: Stapleton, Paul, Sidlow, White. Goals: Wilshere (3). Attendance: 2,189.