Wigan v Salford.

Saturday’s trip to Hull was another thoroughly enjoyable day out and the performance was solid and ruthless. Hull FC had some good young players on show but the physicality of the Red Devils was too much for them. Someone asked me if I felt sorry for Hull FC. The simple answer is no. They’ve had plenty of success over the last decade winning the Challenge Cup at Wembley twice and I’ve not forgotten our 82-6 defeat there twenty years ago. The Airlie birds need to keep faith with those youngsters because they’ve got some real talent. If you look at their recruitment for next season though it’s looking like wholesale changes with lots of players coming in. 

Salford coach Paul Rowley was delighted after the match on Saturday. Making the Playoffs is a fantastic achievement but Rowley won’t be lighting any cigars just yet. As he said we’ve got a ticket and now we need to cash it in.

Salford are currently fourth in the table but defeat at Wigan and if St.Helens beat Leigh we would swap places with Saints and visit them in the playoffs. Hull Kingston Rovers will be hoping for Salford to upset Wigan but it looks a difficult task the way the Warriors are playing. Salford have only won this fixture three times since 1979 but if we did pull it off and the Robins would take the League Leaders shield providing they beat Leeds on Friday. 

With all these conundrums and the excitement it’s generating I can’t understand why Salford’s fixture at Wigan was switched from Friday to Thursday at less than a weeks notice. Once again supporters are not given a thought and it feels like the people who run the sport have missed the opportunity to really ramp up this weeks matches. 

Super League away record 

Wigan 26

Draws 0

Salford 3

1997 Wigan 14 Salford 21

1998 Wigan 34 Salford 6

1999 Wigan 64 Salford 2

2000 Wigan 52 Salford 20

2001 Wigan 70 Salford 4

2002 Wigan 32 Salford 0

2004 Wigan 20 Salford 10

2005 Wigan 40 Salford 12

2006 Wigan 20 Salford 12

2007 Wigan 40 Salford 16

2009 Wigan 34 Salford 18

2010 Wigan 60 Salford 10

2011 Wigan 52 Salford 18

2012 Wigan 38 Salford 6

2013 Wigan 46 Salford 6

2014 Wigan 45 Salford 4

2015 Wigan 19 Salford 12

2016 Wigan 20 Salford 16

2017 Wigan 16 Salford 31

2017 Wigan 42 Salford 0 ( Super eights)

2018 Wigan 30 Salford 0

2019 Wigan 28 Salford 12

2019 Wigan 18 Salford 12 (Top Five Playoffs)

2019 Wigan 4 Salford 28 (playoff semi final)

2020 Wigan 58 Salford 12 ( behind closed doors, St.helens)

2021 Wigan 16 Salford 6

2022 Wigan 30 Salford 24

2023 Wigan 20 Salford 16

2023 Wigan 26 Salford 8

They played for both.

Over the years there have been plenty of players who’ve been at both clubs at some point in their career. Here are a few of them,

Bob Burdell, Colin Clarke, Mal Aspey, Neil Baynes, Wayne Reid, Steve Blakeley, Gavin Clinch, Andy Coley, Michael Dobson, Mark Flanagan, Martin Gleeson, Sean Gleeson, Wayne Godwin, Bobbie Goulding, Andy Gregory, Steve Hampson, Ged Byrne, Paul O Neil, Harrison Hansen, Gareth Hock, Nathan Mcavoy, Lee Mossop, Jack Murphy, David Myers, Martin Offiah, Sam Panapa, John Pendlebury, Luke Robinson, Tim Smith, David Stephenson, Trevor Stockey, Ged Stazicker, Scott Taylor, Logan Tomkins, Colin Whitfield, Peter Smethurst, Stephen Wild, Phil Ford, Jackson Hastings, Greg Burke, Morgan Escare, Jake Bibby and Gil Dudson.

A match to remember Friday 20th September 2019.

Wigan 18 Salford 12.

After a glorious day weather wise the two form sides in the Super League went head to head at the DW Stadium. After finishing second and third in the League Table respectively this match looked too close to call. Salford’s record away at Wigan doesn’t make particularly good reading but this was new territory in the playoffs.

Gil Dudson returned to the Salford starting line up after missing his first game of the season last week. The Welshman was looking for an inspired performance against his former club Wigan.

The Red Devils were welcomed to the field by a huge travelling army of supporters in the North stand. The noise generated added to the electric atmosphere.

Salford made their intentions known early on, a very positive first set of six keeping the ball alive and stretching the Wigan defence. A drop out was forced and moments later Jake Bibby came close to opening the scoring but just couldn’t ground the ball.

Wigan fullback Zak Hardacker missed a relatively straight forward conversion from what was a soft penalty awarded by referee Robert Hicks.

Both sides traded sets with defensive work keeping the match scoreless.

The first points of the game came on the back of some good fortune for the Warriors. Krisnan Inu looked to have had the ball stollen in the tackle but the knock on was awarded allowing the home side a perfect attacking opportunity.

Slick centre play from Oliver Gildart allowed the Wigan centre to stand Kris Welham up and touch down for a try. Hardacker this time booted over the much trickier conversion, 6-0.

The Warriors came close to extending their lead but were denied a try for what looked a blatant obstruction.

Ken Sio came close to scoring as Salford grew in confidence and began asking questions of their hosts defence. Tui Lolohea’s huge spiralling kick caused sheer panic and the knock on followed. Salford went hunting the try and managed to force a repeat set of six. Joey Lussick showed tremendous strength to burrow over the line. Referee Hicks called upon the video referee after awarding no try on the field. After a good few minutes viewing many different angles Lussick looked to have grounded the ball quite legitimately. No try was the decision.

This didn’t stop Salford however and a few plays later Lussick fed George Griffin with a lovely short ball to send the all action second rower crashing over. Inu booted the conversion to level the scores at 6-6.

This match was being played at quite an intensity, it was playoff rugby league at its best. Two sides going hammer and tongs with each other. The Red Devil’s left the pitch at half time to a standing ovation from their supporters after a fantastic first half.

Salford started the second half on the front foot. A wonderful flowing move was halted by a desperate piece of defence yet again as the Warriors conceded a scrum after tipping a Salford pass in to touch. More slick ball movement moments later saw Niall Evalds put Ken Sio over for an acrobatic finish on the touch line. The video referee was called upon again and this time a try on the field was given. Agonisingly though Sio had just been caught by his knee over the touchline, no try.

Wigan took the lead in the 53rd minute after a crazy offload from Inu inches from his own try line went to ground. Wigan scrum half Thomas Leuluai couldn’t believe his luck as he pouched an easy try. 12-6.

Attacking down their left edge Wigan then came up with a real slice of good fortune. A wayward pass bounced kindly and George Williams showed tremendous pace to race away to score. Hardacker converted to leave Salford a real uphill task at 18-6.

Jackson Hastings hit back with a superb piece of individual brilliance. Dancing round the Wigan defence to stretch out and score. The North stand erupted. Hastings looked to be fouled in the act of scoring by Tony Clubb. A cheap shot on the Australian was really uncalled for, Salford unlucky not to be awarded a chance at an eight point try. Inu converted the try, 18-12 with 19 minutes remaining.

Six points in front going into the last 10 minutes Wigan didn’t really look to extend their lead. Looking to shut up shop the home side handed the gauntlet to their gallant visitors.

Lolohea forced a drop out as Wigan clung on with some heroic and desperate defence. Lee Mossop and Gil Dudson were magnificent all night charging the ball in relentlessly like to fearless gladiators. Mossop came close but was just held up short. The tension was unbearable as centre Kris Welham forced a drop out with a clever kick. Yet again Salford tried every trick in the book but to their credit Wigan showed why they are the Champions with an unbelievable resilience to hold on as the final hooter sounded.

Red Devils coach Ian Watson was disappointed with the result but very proud of the performance from his side. “To work hard and defend off the ball has really been shown again today, they should be really proud of their efforts. Just a little bit of smartness let us down. In the playoffs you win games by small margins like what Wigan have done. They’ve won on the back of our errors”.

Looking forward to the Castleford match next Thursday Watson said, “ we can’t let that game define us, we’ve got to learn are lessons and go in to the Castleford game 100% confident”.

Salford will now be at home to Castleford next Thursday night with the losing being eliminated. Wigan will travel to St. Helens next Friday with the wining side from that clash progressing through to the Grand Final.

The Red Devils fell just short in this one but they lived to fight another day. The 2019 story wasn’t over just yet.

The teams that night,

Wigan, Hardacker, Marshall, Hankinson, Gildart, Burgess, Williams, Leuluai, Clubb, Powell, Byrne, Isa, Farrell, Smithies.

Subs, Flower O’Loughlin, Greenwood, French.

Salford, Evalds, Sio, Welham, Bibby, Inu, Lolahea, Hastings, Mossop, Tomkins, Dudson, Jones, Griffin, McCarthy.

Subs, Lussick, Walker, Flanagan, Lannon.

Referee, Robert Hicks.

Attendance, 9,247.

Thursday’s match.

The League Leaders shield is the prize on offer for Wigan on Thursday night. We can expect them to come out all guns blazing and it looks like their key players are all back to peak fitness at this crucial point of the season. The two sides have met twice this season at the Salford Community Stadium with Wigan the only team to beat the Red Devils on their home ground. The first meeting was a real thriller that Salford had in their pockets until a few mistakes in the closing stages. The second match was a little more comfortable for Wigan with a 6-26 victory.

The Warriors are pretty formidable on their home ground and the supporters will be in party mood on Thursday night so for Salford it will be like entering the lions den. This however doesn’t seem to faze Paul Rowley and his players. They like being the underdogs and at times this season when that tag has been on them it’s brought the best out in them. 

Salford have managed just three victories in this fixture in the summer era. 1997, 2017 and that unforgettable playoff game in 2019. Form there in the 1980s was pretty dismal but looking back to the 1970s Salford had a pretty decent record against Wigan and certainly held their own. 

The bookmakers have Wigan as big favourites, Salford have a twenty eight point start on this week’s coupon. The Red Devils twenty one man squad announcement raised a few eyebrows but you can see where Paul Rowley is coming from. The short turnaround has not helped Salford at all and Hull Kingston Rovers can’t really have any complaints because they lost at Wigan a few weeks ago. You can’t rely in sport on other teams doing you a favour. Rowley is doing what he can to make sure Salfords season and journey goes as far as it possibly can. He’s the man in charge and needs trusting on his judgment. If people think that their team would approach this differently then your probably a little naive but I can see both sides of the argument. 

The action gets under way at 8pm.

Safe travels and enjoy the match.

Paul Whiteside. 

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