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Match report: Salford City Reds v Castleford Tigers
Adam Milner goes over to score.
Full-back Richard Owen scored two tries as Castleford spoiled Salford’s opening night at their new home by grinding out a hard-fought victory in atrocious weather conditions.
The Tigers came from 4-0 down to triumph at the Salford City Stadium and ensure new coach Ian Millward made a winning return to Super League after a six-year absence.
The Yorkshiremen performed creditably to score four tries on a snowbound surface, three of them into a bitterly cold wind in the second half.
The Reds suffered an early blow when hooker Wayne Godwin hobbled off just eight minutes into the game but Stuart Howarth, one of five new signings, proved an able deputy until having to also go off with mild concussion 14 minutes from the end.
Fortune
When stand-off Daniel Holdsworth failed to find touch with a penalty, the home side looked in for a long night but they had a touch of good fortune when Castleford fluffed a straight-forward scoring opportunity.
Half-backs Danny Orr and Rangi Chase combined to create an opening but Owen mistimed his pass to Kirk Dixon on the wing and referee Thierry Alibert rightly ruled it forward.
The breakthrough came at the other end on 17 minutes when Reds scrum-half Matty Smith took Howarth’s pass, split the Castleford defence open with a dummy and careered over from 30 metres for the first Super League try at the new stadium.
The Tigers thought they had levelled when hooker Adam Milner burrowed his way over from acting half-back but Salford back rower Vinnie Anderson managed to get his body under the ball to prevent the score.
Video referee Phil Bentham also disallowed a Holdsworth try for obstruction but there was no disputing Castleford’s equalising try six minutes before half-time when Chase superbly delayed his pass for Owen to go through a gap to touch down.
Dixon’s conversion edged the Yorkshiremen into a 6-4 interval lead and they stretched it to eight points within seven minutes of the re-start thanks a wonderful example of opportunism.
Replacement hooker Daryl Clark underlined his tremendous promise with a darting run and offload which created the position for Owen to kick speculatively to the corner.
Left winger Josh Griffin was first to the ball and, after hacking it forward, won the race to touch it down.
Dixon’s splendid conversion put the visitors two scores in front and they made sure of the win when Milner gathered Chase’s well-placed kick to claim a third try.
Salford battled to the end and scored the best try of the match when former St Helens second rower Matty Ashurst finished off a flowing move featuring half-backs Smith and Holdsworth and full-back Luke Patten.
Holdsworth kicked his first goal but Castleford had the final say when Owen grabbed his second try after more good work from Danny Orr and his half-back partner Chase, with the sure-footed Dixon kicking his fourth goal from as many attempts.
Tigers coach Ian Millward was delighted to get is reign off to a winning start in the dreadful conditions.
“I thought our back three were very strong and both our halves showed a lot of composure in the second half,” said Millward. “It was a nice way to start, they’ve worked very hard in pre-season. I’m really pleased.
“I thought our attitude was fantastic. Our kick-chase was very strong and the pressure on the kicker was very strong.
“They were difficult conditions for both teams and it was quite incredible if you look at some of movement of the ball at times.”
Salford coach Phil Vievers, also taking change of his side for the first time, admmited Cas had dealt with the snowy surface better than his own side.
“It was a bit frustrating,” said Veivers. “The conditions were the same for both sides but Castleford seemed to play them a little better than us.
“They controlled the ruck a lot better than we did and came through the middle pretty good.
“They won the arm wrestle and inched their way up field.
“They scored two tries from kicks and the other two through our right edge so we’ve plenty of work to do there.”
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
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