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Salford City Reds 34 Sheffield 10

Dave Lawrenson
12/ 6/2008

WHEN the season is done and dusted Salford’s fans may look back at 8.55pm on Friday night as the time when their team finally clicked.

The Reds have an abundance of quality players at National League One level but they have struggled to gel together as a team.

On Friday night it was the same old story in the first half, which ended with the scores locked at 6-6, as Salford flattered to deceive against inferior opposition. But the Reds showed just how good they can be after the break.

With the players’ confidence seemingly rising with every second half minute that passed, Salford scythed through Sheffield’s defence almost at will.

The table-topping Reds played some breathtaking rugby and scored five second half tries via John Wilshere, Craig Stapleton, Richard Myler, Stefan Ratchford and Paul White to make amends for the previous week’s shock defeat at Whitehaven.

The second half blitz also confined Salford’s disappointing 22-22 draw at Sheffield in May to the memory banks.

But Mark Aston’s Sheffield side are certainly no easy beats. They proved that by defeating Salford’s main title rivals Halifax 46-22 at the start of the month to move up to third in the table.

However, they used too many delaying tactics on Friday night. A long line of teams have got away with continually slowing Salford down at the play-the-ball area this season and Sheffield clearly thought that they could follow suit.

However, referee Jamie Leahy was having none of it. He gave Salford several interference penalties and sent Sheffield’s Matthew Whitaker and Alex Szostak to the sin-bin.

One Sheffield player who is no stranger to being sent away as punishment is Damien Reid. He started the season on Salford’s books but did not play a single game for them after being sent to prison for breaking a friend’s jaw on a night out.

Salford’s fans feared that the centre would come back to haunt them after seeing his name on the Sheffield teamsheet. But Reid’s second debut for the Eagles turned out to be a non-event.

The recalled Stephen Bannister had Reid in his pocket all game. But the most impressive Salford players were first half try scorer Phil Leuluai and fellow forward Adam Sidlow. They bashed Sheffield into submission with their immense power and high work rate and dropped duo Karl Fitzpatrick and Andrew Brocklehurst will find it hard to get back into the team after this result!

Team: Wilshere; Gardner, Littler, Bannister, White; Paul, Myler; Jewitt, Alker, Stapleton, Sidlow, Adamson, Turner. Subs: Leuluai, Walton, Ratchford, Highton. Tries: Leuluai, Wilshere, Stapleton, Myler, Ratchford, White. Goals: Wilshere (5). Attendance: 3,526.