It was almost like somebody had wound the clock back to a cup tie of yesteryear. The Salford supporters marched to the stadium with huge queues outside the West stand. With the end of the season just weeks away off the field the Red Devils are on their knees. For eighty minutes at Warrington what we witnessed was something very special.

Paul Rowley managed to name a team which was very similar to last week. This was a huge boost to have that little bit of continuity.

Rowan Milnes started in the halves with Joe Mellor. Jack Walker made his debut at fullback in the absence of Declan Murphy. Jayden Nikorima returned on the bench.

Warrington had plenty of quality in their seventeen. Matt Dufty started at fullback. George Williams partnered with youngster Leon Haynes in the halves. 

Luke Yates, Toby King and Danny Walker all started with Sam Powell on the bench.

Bring on the Salford was the constant chant from the supporters for a good fifteen minutes prior to kick off. The atmosphere in the away was absolutely electric when you consider the circumstances that our club is in.

The home side got off to the perfect start when Dufty rounded Walker with a super turn of pace. It looked like a long night could be in store for Salford. As we saw last week though with the players we now have there seems a real resilience, particularly in defence. 

Justin Sangare is a player that has real come to the fore in recent weeks. He looks confident and full of running. He threw out a risky pass but the lively Walker burst through to spark the Devils into life. Salford now have an attacking threat. Milnes has been a great addition and his super kicking game has been a shining light. A drop out was forced, Salford went left and Mellor produced a perfect pass for young centre Jack Darbyshire to score. Milnes levelled the match at 6-6 with the conversion. 

Darbyshire has showed really signs of quality and is another player with a huge future in the sport.

Midway through the first half Nikorima came on and he gave the Wolves something else to worry about. Salford have been pretty blunt this season on attack but with the creativity of Milnes, Nikorima and the craft of Mellor Warrington were being tested. The Wolves had plenty of possession but Salford tackled well, they were solid on the edges and very well organised. 

Milnes put Walker through a gap as Salford came roaring forward again. Sangare picked up a loose pass before throwing a dummy. The line seemed to open up for him an he charged over to stun the home supporters. 

The West stand was absolutely bouncing. You could physically see the belief growing in front of your eyes. As the half time hooter sounded Salford fully deserved a 6-12 lead. 

Warrington started the second half just like the first with a very early try. A speculative kick out wide found Thewlis who touched down. The kick was good, 12-12.

Salford looked the more enterprising side, they forced the pass at every opportunity. The Rugby was thrilling at times and for a side full of young players with very limited Super League experience it was remarkable to watch. 

What happened next was one of those moments that will be talked about for years to come. Nathan Connell who has really come of age this season broke down the right edge. He kicked inside,  Louix Gorman worked wonders to keep the ball alive. Supporters held their breath. The ball ended up in Sangare’s arms. He had players on his outside, the overlap was there. Sangare had one thing in mind and he powered over with Warrington defender’s holding onto him.

The ball was grounded to seal a very special try that will go down in Salford folklore.

In that moment it felt like all our troubles had gone. It’s like we’d been transported to a parallel universe. The players grew in confidence as they ripped into a lacklustre Wolves outfit. The home side didn’t want to know. Their body language told the story. 

One player who has given everything this season to Salford is Tiaki Chan. He hit a perfect line off Nikorima’s offload to roar over for a try. Chan has a wonderful attitude, he never stops working.

Salford kept their shape and the next piece of play summed up the contrast of the two sides. Salford lined up for a drop goal and not one Warrington player attempted to charge the kick down. A complete lack of desire from the hosts allowed Milnes all the time in the world to sail the one pointer over.

Milnes has been a perfect addition to the team. A good organiser, top goal kicker but his place kicking is the tool that does the damage.

The noise, energy and sheer joy that poured out of the Salford supporters at the full time hooter makes everything worthwhile. No matter how bad things get or how low you feel there is always another eighty minutes. Next week promises to be another worrying one off the pitch. A lot can happen in a week in Rugby League. For the Red Devils in 2025 a lot can happen in half an hour!

Focus on what’s in your control and most of all never stop believing.

Warrington 12 Salford 25.

Paul Whiteside.

Big thanks to Steve McCormick for the photos.