DEVILS MISS OUT
SALFORD’S SEMI-FINAL HEARTBREAK
SALFORD were denied a first Wembley final in 49 years after falling to a 27-14 defeat in the Challenge Cup semi-final against Wigan.
It was a match that ebbed and flowed throughout, but it was perhaps the Super League champions’ greater experience in knockout fixtures that saw them through in the end, booking their place in the August bank holiday final against holders Hull FC.
“People talk about big-game experience and people like Sam Tomkins, I thought he turned up massively today,” admitted Red Devils coach Ian Watson.
“At times today we were good there, we just fell off in little areas and those small areas in big games, that’s what catches you and that’s what we need to learn going forward.”
Salford started the match ferociously, driving the ball carrier back on successive carries before forcing a knock on and a first look at the Wigan line inside the first minute. The Warriors survived however and launched a 20-minute period of sustained pressure.
Winger Tom Davies produced two flying finishes in two minutes only to be denied for a foot in touch and forward pass successively, before Oliver Gildart opened the scoring and Willie Isa doubled the Wigan lead soon after.
The Red Devils were flagging and in desperate need of a boost – provided by a series of cheap penalties from Wigan and the introduction of debutant Tyrone McCarthy from the bench.
Greg Johnson crossed first to half the deficit, before his break bought the position for a short Todd Carney kick at the line, grounded by McCarthy.
And it was the recently-arrived forward that was pushed off the ball by Sam Tomkins on the half-hour mark, earning the Warriors fullback 10 minutes in the sin bin and handing Salford the lead in the form of a penalty.
Tomkins returned seconds into the second period and almost instantly atoned, breaking through the middle and offloading to Joe Burgess who raced to touch down in the corner. However, the video ref denied the score.
George Williams then levelled with a penalty, before missing one from the same position moments later, but it would not prove significant. He crafted the room for Joe Burgess to break down the left and chip back inside to Michael McIlorum who scored under the posts. A dropgoal from man-of-the-match Tomkins followed, before Gildart’s second try on the hooter added extra gloss.