Salford v Warrington.

Paul Rowley and Kurt Haggerty are not quite Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but it does feel like Salford are now drinking in the last chance Salon as far as the Playoffs are concerned. With three games left and two against their Play off rivals Warrington and Hull Kingston Rovers this Sunday might feel like the O.K Corral when the match kicks off.

Warrington have been a huge enigma in 2023 and very hard to predict. They started the season in fine fettle with eight straight victories including a big win away to Catalans. Around Easter time cracks started appearing and after a comprehensive defeat at Leigh at the end of May the wolves managed just one win in eleven. The dismal form saw coach Daryl Powell leave the club and the 2023 season looked to be completely imploding. A hard fought victory away to Hull was followed last weekend by a 66-12 dismantling of struggling Castleford. Warrington now sit fifth in the table, two points in front of Salford with a much superior point difference. Interim Wolves boss Gary Chambers will know victory on Sunday will almost cement a top six place.

Salford were disappointing in defeat at Wigan last Friday. The match hung in the balance until the Red Devils capitulation just before half time. Poor discipline and unforced errors have been the achilles heal all season for Salford and the frustrating thing is the players are good enough to be higher in the table than what they are.

Paul Rowley is a coach who approaches matches one at a time. Salford have three cup ties now really to make the playoffs, Warrington, Hull Kingston Rovers and Catalans. Three wins would give them thirty points on the League table and that’s a good season for a team with Salford’s resources!

Super League home record.

Salford 12

Draws 0

Warrington 15

1997 Salford 26 Warrington 14

1998 Salford 14 Warrington 25

1999 Salford 22 Warrington 26

1999 Salford 42 Warrington 26

2000 Salford 31 Warrington 12

2001 Salford 26 Warrington 18

2002 Salford 31 Warrington 18

2004 Salford 18 Warrington 37

2004 Salford 6 Warrington 32

2005 Salford 42 Warrington 10

2006 Salford 35 Warrington 34

2007 Salford 32 Warrington 34

2007 Salford 26 Warrington 32

2009 Salford 18 Warrington 16

2010 Salford 10 Warrington 27

2011 Salford 0 Warrington 60

2012 Salford 48 Warrington 24

2013 Salford 4 Warrington 46

2014 Salford 12 Warrington 28

2015 Salford 16 Warrington 34

2016 Salford 30 Warrington 31

2017 Salford 24 Warrington 14

2018 Salford 6 Warrington 22

2019 Salford 22 Warrington 6

2020 Salford 20 Warrington 18

2021 Salford 18 Warrington 62

2022 Salford 14 Warrington 32

They played for both.

Here are a few players to wear the red of Salford and the primrose and blue of Warrington.

Vinny Anderson, Richie Barnett, Steve Blakeley, Martin Crompton, John Duffy, Phil Ford, Martin Gleeson, Andy Gregory, Danny Halliwell, Neil Harmon, Alan Hunte, David Highton, Danny Lima, Tyrone McCarthy, Francis Maloney, Adrian Morley, Chris Morley, Ben Murdoch Masila, Richie Myler, Adam Neal, Gareth O Brien, Rob Parker, Stefan Ratchford, Stuart Reardon, Ian Sibbit, Kevin Tamati, Mike Wainwright, Lama Tasi and John Wilshere.

A match to remember Friday 29th June 1997.

Salford 26 Warrington 14.

After promotion at the end of 1996 Salford took the Super League by storm in the early stages of 1997. League form saw Andy Gregory’s Reds riding high in the Table and also progress through the Challenge Cup beating top flight opposition all the way to the Semi Final. A new competition involving all the Super League Europe and Australian teams began, The World Club Challenge. Salford had just returned from a tough trip to Australia were they had fought hard against Adelaide Rams and North Queensland Cowboys but both games had ended in defeat.

Warrington were visitors to The Willows as Salford looked to get their season back on track. Nathan McAvoy scored a try in the early stages before defence from both teams put a halt to any points scoring. It was a real tussle of the forward packs but Salford’s ageing forwards set the platform for another McAvoy try just before the break. Steve Blakeley made now mistakes with the conversions to give the home side a 14-0 half time lead.

Warrington responded at the start of the second half building pressure. Young Kiwi star Nigel Vagana raced in to reduce the deficit before veteran winger Mark Forster scored a trademark try to put the Wolves right back in the contest.

Salford managed to hold their nerve, Phil Coussons finished off a lovely move to reinstate the points advantage. With just nine minutes remaining fans favourite Fata Sini powered over to put the game to bed with a nice try. Warrington scored a consolation try in the dying seconds from a promising young player named Paul Sculthorpe.

The teams that day:

Salford,

Broadbent, Coussons, Rogers, Mcavoy, Sini, Blakeley, Lee, Platt, Edwards, Eccles, Savelio, Faimalo, Burgess.

Subs, Martin, Watson, Forber, Southern

Warrington,

Penny, Roper, Finau, Vagana, Forster, Shelford, Briers, Mann, Swann, Stevens, Hulme, Tatupu, Sculthorpe

Subs, Henare, Wainwright, Geritas, Thorniley

Referee: John Connolly

Attendance: 3,477

Sundays match.

At the start of the week it looked like Salford’s squad would be decimated this Sunday as the RFL handing out fines and suspensions. Salford have now appealed the bans of Oliver Partington and King Vuniyayawa but it looks like a Kallum Watkins will be missing. Ryan Brierley also received a fine but I am not quite sure what for. When I first started watching Rugby League in the 1980s red cards and suspensions were very rare. You had to do something pretty serious to be sent off. Nowadays suspensions and fines are handed out like Christmas cards. Sometimes I feel the game has changed so much and in many ways not for the better. It’s becoming to sanitised, Rugby League is one of the toughest contact sports in the world and that’s the way it should stay.

Warrington have plenty of quality in their squad with two of the best half backs in the country in George Williams and Josh Drinkwater. Australian Paul Vaughn took Super League by storm at the start of 2023 and the big forward is starting to find form again. It’s been said many times that the Wolves have a great squad on paper. I’ve never been one to buy those sort of yarns. Rugby League has a lot more to it than that.

With the roasting temperatures of the last week or so the conditions on Sunday could be rather muggy. We could see a few points scored in this match.

I think Salford need to start fast and come out all guns blazing. Forgive me for another Cowboy pun it wasn’t intended!!

The Red Devils showed against Huddersfield a few weeks ago that they’ve got the capability to shut a team down and they’ll need to do that with Warrington. The Wolves have a very quick back line with players like Matty Ashton, Josh Thewlis and Matt Dufty. Salford know all about Stefan Ratchford too. The Wolves captain is now thirty five and is in his twelfth season with the club having racked up well over three hundred appearances. He also played over one hundred games for Salford between 2007-2011. A prolific try scorer and goal kicker Ratchford always gets a decent ovation from the Salford supporters.

Don’t forget the early kick off time on Sunday in what promises to be a cracking match.

The action gets under way at 12:45pm.

Safe travels and enjoy the match.

Paul Whiteside.

Big thanks to Steve McCormick for the photos and the Salford match day programme and the Guardian newspaper.