Salford were continuously challenged by Bradford in a tight match but came away with a 26-16 win at home to the delight of their many dedicated fans.
Bradford Bulls brought a battle to Salford Community Stadium, taking the lead a couple times throughout the game, but Salford pulled ahead and away by the end with a great display of power and determination.
Having kicked off rather slowly, the match soon heated up. A Salford scrum and second set of six got them to the line, although they were unable to collect the kick at the end of the set.
This disappointment didn’t last long though as a Deon Cross masterclass in footwork pushed them back into Bradford’s half, and Esan Martsters soon leapt over the whitewash to be the first on the board.
The Bulls eventually got a line break and raced straight down the pitch to the try line. However their glory was short-lived as Ryan Brierley made a try-saving tackle at the last second.
Unfortunately for the Reds, Brierley was penalised for holding down and they were brought a man down as he was handed a yellow card.
Despite this, Salford got straight back to and pushed Bradford to their own line. Given a penalty for obstruction against Ethan Ryan, Kai Morgan kicked for 2 and got the ball straight through the sticks.
Bradford made a comeback in the 29th minute as Guy Armitage managed to cross in the corner off the back of a scrum. Joe Keyes went slightly wide which kept Salford in the lead.
This lead was soon lost though as James Meadows sent his kick high which Waqa Blake knocked back. Zac Fulton collected and jumped over the whitewash to push the Bulls ahead.
Salford were stunted again as Cross was pushed behind the line for a goal-line drop out, giving the Bulls the advantage. Fortunately for the Reds, they couldn’t make much of the advantage as Blake’s pass went out.
A late tackle by Jordan Lilley on Chris Atkin earned Salford a penalty which pushed them straight to Bradford’s line. Following two more sets of 6, the Reds were stopped just 10 out on the last tackle, but a Meadows penalty and yellow card gave them another chance.
The first half ended dramatically as Atkins rushed over the try line but was unfortunately penalised for crossing so wasn’t awarded the try.
Salford’s lead returned at the start of the second half. Captain Kallum Watkins got an offload to Sangare which took them close to the line. Brierley gladly took advantage of this position and ran between defenders to ground the ball.
The Red’s came close to another try as Ryan chipped the ball from the corner, but Keyes was there to collect it, stopping a further Salford lead.
Instead, the Bulls managed to push ahead once again with a Kieran Gill try. From a line break by halfway, Gill zoomed down to the line after evading a Watkins tackle and grounded between the sticks.
As though in a game of tug-of-war, Salford pushed ahead again. Tiaki Chan crossed for a try but it wasn’t given as referee Jack Smith had already given a Salford penalty.
This didn’t stop them though as, after a second set of six, Nikorima was able to get the ball grounded.
This lead was actually provided by the conversion from Man of the Match, Kai Morgan, whose kick hit the left post and bounced between the sticks. Another Morgan kick from a penalty pushed it to a four point lead.
With seven minutes left on the clock, Salford began to pull away, winning the game of tug-of-war. From a Brierley chip into the corner, Ethan Ryan raced towards it and put it down right by the touch line.
It looked dangerous for a second as Armitage broke through the line, but he was pulled into touch only a couple meters out, saving the try.
Salford’s 26-16 success keeps them in the Challenge Cup for round 5. They will now be looking ahead to their next Super League fixture against Huddersfield.
MATCH FACTS:
Salford XIII: Ryan Brierley, Ethan Ryan, Esan Marsters, Chris Hankinson, Deon Cross, Jayden Nikorima, Chris Atkin, Chris Hill, Kai Morgan, Jack Ormondroyd, Shane Wright, Kallum Watkins, Harvey Wilson
Interchanges: Joe Bullock, Justin Sangare, Tiaki Chan, Charlie McCurrie.
Tries: Esan Marsters, Ryan Brierley, Jayden Nikorima, Ethan Ryan.
Conversions: Ryan Brierley (0/1), Morgan (5/5)
Bradford Bulls XIII: Luke Hooley, Jayden Okunbor, Waqa Blake, Kieran Gill, Guy Armitage, James Meadows, Joe Keyes, Michael Lawrence, Mitch Souter, Franklin Pele, Zac Fulton, Matty Gee, James Donaldson
Interchanges: Jordan Lilley, Nathan Mason, Ronan Michael, Bayley Liu
Tries: Guy Armitage, Zac Fulton, Kieran Gill
Conversions: Luke Hooley (2/3)
HT: 6-10
FT: 26-16
