 With an extra weekend to prepare, and backed by a larger than average home crowd thanks to reduced entry prices, everything was in place for a Red Devils win to lift them into the top eight ahead of the Magic Weekend.
Tomy Smith and his Warrington Wolves had different ideas, and following the midweek departure of Micky Higham, they had Daryl Clark at hooker and welcomed the influential Stefan Ratchford back to the ranks after he missed out on last weeks cup win over the Dewsbury Rams.
The Red Devils came into the game on the back of a five game losing run against the Wolves and from the early exchanges it looked like a sixth was on the cards. After dominating the early play the Wolves opened their account after ten minutes when Ben Currie picked up a charge-down and went thirty metres to score. Ratchford kicked the two for 6-0.
Bu on thirteen the home side were level, with their first real foray into the Wolves half. A great kick-off forced a Wolves drop-out and the Devils used the ball well for Hauraki to feed Paterson cross. The Devils second rower converted his own try.
On seventeen Gene Ormsby scored a spectacular flying try after the ball had gone through a dozen pairs on Wolves hands in the Devils twenty. Ratchford missed the conversion attempt from wide but was more accurate seven minutes later in converting his own try after a fast pass from Clark allowed him to run in on the angle.
The Wolves looked in control but the Red Devils weren't for throwing in the towel and once again the reduced the deficit to just four points after Junior Sau threw the dummy and crashed over off a Hauraki pass. Paterson kicked the extras and send the sides into the interval with the visitors holding a 16-12 advantage.
The Devils looked to have drawn first blood in the second half when Paterson stole the ball one-on-one and went under the sticks but the video referee ruled knock-on.
Just before the hour and the Wolves were back in charge when Currie brushed off two tackles before finding Ormsby for his second as he exploited an overlap to score in the corner. Ratchford was accurate with the boot for 22-12. But Salford just wouldn't lie down.
On sixty-two it was 18-22 when fast hands allowed Evalds to stretch and score on the line. Paterson slotted over the two and the home side were back within four points. It was game on with just over fifteen minutes to go.
But the Wolves had the stamina. On sixty-five Brad Dwyer went under the sticks from acting half back after throwing a great dummy and on seventy-one Gene Ormsby completed his hat-trick with a gravity defying score in the corner. Ratchford converted both to give his side a 'more comfortable than it really was' 34-18 win.
A good crowd saw a great game whose end to end nature deserved a closer final score line. Both sides picked up a few injuries but Tony Smith will be concerned the most about who he may be missing for Newcastle. This was also Rangi Chase's last match of his suspension and he'll make a big difference to the rest of Salford's season. They could well still be playing Super 8's rather than middle 8's come August.
Devils: Evalds, Jones-Bishop, Sau, Walton, Johnson, Fages, Wood, Taylor, Walne A, Walne J, Paterson, Hauraki, Hansen. Subs: Hood, Morley, Griffin, Foster
Wolves: Ratchford, Penny, Bridge, Atkins, Ormsby, Patton, Myler, Hill, Clark, Sims, Currie, Westwood, Harrison. Subs: Kimg, Asotasi, Dwyer, Laithwaite.
Referee: Ben Thaler
Attendance: 6,159
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