Salford fought until the final moment and a win looked promising but they were unable to defeat Castleford.
The away side brought immense energy and determination to the game, which was matched by their travelling fans. They challenged the Tigers and levelled the scoreboard twice, however, Castleford’s skill pushed them ahead again in the final moments to get the 22-14 win.
Salford kicked off the game with an incredible show of skill from Marc Sneyd whose left foot mastery kicked a 40-20 to end the first set.
The game slowed down with back and forth between the two sides, both being kept away from the try line.
Unfortunately for the Reds, they were soon brought down to 12 men as Captain Kallum Watkins was handed a yellow card for a late tackle with secondary contact to the head.
Castleford took advantage of the away side being a man down, pushing ahead to the try line. With the help of a penalty and another set of six, Liam Horne became the first over the whitewash as he grounds the ball just as Chris Hill makes the tackle.
Despite falling behind, Salford seemed dominant on the pitch and the Tigers’ lead soon came to an end.
Following a class offload from Watkins, Brierley’s quick feet got the Reds back in the game as he dodged two defenders and raced over the try line. Sneyd’s conversion levelled the game.
Another masterclass by Sneyd with a 20/40 pushed Salford back into an attacking position and ended the first half on a high for the away team as they displayed the power that they’re capable of bringing to the pitch.
The second half kicked off dramatically as Castleford’s Judah Rimbu crossed the line within the first minute. However, it was ruled a no try by Video Ref Ben Thaler as Muizz Mustapha had knocked on in the air.
Their luck turned around though as Mustapha was next over the whitewash, with a clear try, running through Salford’s defence.
Adding to their tally, Tex Hoy kicked for two following a penalty for interference during play of the ball.
Youngster, Kai Morgan, got Salford back in the game again with an amazing line break and pace down the field. An offload by Morgan allowed Watkins to storm the rest of the way to ground the ball.
It seemed like the Tigers were pushing further ahead as Wood crossed, however the ball separated from his hand before he could ground it.
Sneyd kicked for two from the 40m line after a penalty for a high tackle, but it unfortunately went wide.
Castleford’s misfortune continued as they got a third no try when the ball was planted on the leg before separation meaning there was no grounding on the floor.
Moving to the other end of the pitch, Watkins gets a successful Captain’s Challenge for a ball steal.
Possession is soon passed to Castleford after a Morgan knock-on. Originally called to play on, Watkins used his second Captain’s Challenge successfully for a knock-on on the ground.
Unusually, the successful challenge went against the Reds as Morgan’s initial knock-on gave the scrum to Castleford.
Sneyd once again kicked for two following a penalty and successfully levels the score.
However, this balanced scoreboard didn’t last long as Rimbu crossed the whitewash for the second time, finally getting his name on the sheet as he grounds the ball.
Devastatingly for Salford, Hoy managed to kick for two in the final minute following a penalty and unsuccessful Captain’s Challenge.
With these final points in the game, Castleford take their first win of the season with a 22-14 victory over Salford.
MATCH FACTS:
Salford XIII: Ryan Brierley, Deon Cross, Esan Marsters, Nene Macdonald, Chris Hankinson, Chris Atkin, Marc Sneyd, Justin Sangare, Kai Morgan, Jack Ormondroyd, Tiaki Chan, Kallum Watkins, Chris Hill
Interchanges: Joe Bullock, Matty Foster, Shane Wright, Harvey Wilson
Tries: Brierley, Watkins
Conversions: Sneyd (3/4)
Castleford Tigers XIII: Fletcher Rooney, Josh Simm, Zac Cini, Sam Wood, Innes Senior, Tex Hoy, Daejarn Asi, Dan Okoro, Cain Robb, George Griffin, George Lawler, Alex Mellor, George Hill
Interchanges: Liam Horne, Judah Rimbu, Muizz Mustapha, Sylvester Namo
Tries: Horne, Mustapha, Rimbu
Conversions: Hoy (5/6)
HT: 6-6
FT: 22-14
