Reds Improving But Lose Low-Scoring Clash

The 0-7 scoreline in this Engage Super League encounter did little to portray the drama the game contained, with the Reds going close to snatching at least a point in the dying moments before Paul Sykes popped over a decisive drop goal to seal the points at The Willows.

Match Report

Steve Menzies claimed the only try as Bradford made heavy weather of winless Salford in a dour Engage Super League contest on a freezing, wet Friday night.

The Australian forward’s 24th-minute touchdown proved enough for a second successive Bulls victory but the manner of their performance was again unimpressive.

Salford showed plenty of determination but lacked the final quality to break through and Bradford made sure of victory at The Willows with a late Matt Orford penalty and Paul Sykes drop goal.

The Reds were barely able to get out of their own half in the opening 40 minutes and it was remarkable they came through it only 4-0 down.

Twice Bulls winger Rikki Sheriffe went close to scoring early on but, hindered by a hamstring injury, he was unable to touch down precise kicks from influential half-backs Orford and Brett Kearney.

Another Orford kick put pressure on the opposite wing but Ashley Gibson did well to defuse the danger.

Salford at last earned some relief as they were finally awarded a penalty on halfway in the 21st minute, after five consecutive Bradford penalties, their supporters celebrated as if they had scored a try.

And it almost got better as they finally pieced together a threatening attack but a Dan Holdsworth knock-on allowed Bradford to break.

The only try came moments later as Kearney burst through the line and Sykes sent Menzies over.

Orford missed a straightforward conversion and despite applying more pressure, the Bulls were unable to add to their lead.

Salford actually ended the half strongly but  Bradford held out until the break.

Bradford were forced into a change as Sheriffe was unable to go for the second period.

Dave Halley moved into his position out wide with Sykes taking over at full-back.

The game proceeded at the same dreary pace it had before the interval but Salford showed resolve and eventually made some good ground.

A penalty gave them a chance to attack the Bulls line but Luke Swain was held just short and Mark Henry then fumbled.

The Bulls tried to make them pay but Stuart Reardon also knocked on when well placed.

Bradford’s profligacy encouraged Salford to hit back but another handling error, this time by Stefan Ratchford, ended a promising attack.

The visitors at least put themselves a converted score ahead when they were awarded a penalty in the 65th minute and Orford accepted the two points on offer.

But the game was still not secure and Salford could not be knocked for their persistence.

Ratchford almost stole through for a dramatic try with four minutes remaining but was denied by a fine Sykes tackle.

Bradford added the extra insurance of a Sykes drop goal with two minutes remaining.

Match Facts

Salford (0) 0	Bradford (4) 7
Tries:	Menzies
Goals:	Orford
Drop Goals:	Sykes
Attend: 3,806

Salford: Fitzpatrick, Broughton, Henry, Talau, Gibson, Ratchford, Holdsworth, Boyle, Alker, Parker, Sibbit, Adamson, Swain, Sidlow.
Replacements: Leuluai, J. Smith, Littler, Parker, Sidlow.

Bradford: Halley, Sheriffe, Sykes, Nero, Reardon, Kearney, Orford, Scruton, L’Estrange, Lynch, Whitehead, Langley, Menzies.
Replacements: Hall, Godwin, Kopczak, Donaldson.

Att: 3,806.

Ref: J Child (Dewsbury).

Channel M Televise Varsity Match

Salford City Reds Media Partner, Channel M, has confirmed that it will televise the forthcoming ‘RAF Two Cities Rugby League Challenge’ between Salford and Manchester Universities. Read more

Academy Game Off Due To Weather

Salford City Reds can confirm that this evening’s U20s Academy curtain-raiser against Bradford Bulls has been called off due to the weather. After an evening and morning of heavy, persistant rain the decision was made in order to maintain the playing surface for the Super League clash scheduled to kick-off at 8pm.

With the forecast expected to brighten up Salford City Reds can confirm that the Super League clash will definately go ahead and no pitch inspection is planned but we advise supporters to wrap up warm.

Aussie prop Ray Cashmere is still missing with a calf injury but the Reds are bouyed by the return of playmaker Daniel Holdsworth as they look for their first points of the season.

Reds 19 Man Squad: Fitzpatrick, Broughton, Henry, Talau, Gibson, Ratchford, J. Smith, Sidlow, Alker, Parker, Sibbit, Adamson, Swain, M. Smith, Littler, Leuluai, Tyrer, Holdsworth, Boyle.

Loot The Boot At Halftime

Home and away supporters buying a golden gamble ticket at the Reds fixture against Bradford Bulls this Friday at The Willows will automatically increase their chances of winning £1000 with the new Perry’s Loot in the Boot half time competition.

Perrys Vauxhall, the Bury based car dealer, have recently become special business partners of Salford City Reds and currently sponsor Reds Head Coach Shaun McRae and  the new player tunnel. Now they have thrown their support behind the fantastic match day half time golden gamble game draw and will be backing it with a special extra bonus prize of £1000.

The winning first prize golden gamble ticket holder drawn at half time this Friday will be invited to simply pick one key from a bag of twelve keys and if that key fits the boot of the Perry’s Corsa car on display, will be awarded the £1000 bonus prize.

If the selected key does not fit the boot then it will be discarded. The bag will then contain only 11 keys for the winner of the golden gamble to select from at our next home game v Catalans Dragons with the process continuing at each home fixture until the bonus prize has been claimed.

Lottery Manager Lee Cummins said:

“The Loot in the Boot” concept is a fantastic idea which I’m sure will keep fans gripped not just to their tickets but to the drama surrounding the “Will they or wont they” pick the lucky key that fits the boot.

“I urge all fans to immediately purchase a Golden Gamble ticket upon entering the stadium as I’m sure they will be snapped up quickly and we wouldn’t want anybody to miss out.

“We would also like to remind everybody at half time to listen for the announcement of the winning number and to check the scoreboard, if you think you have the winning ticket come straight down to pitch side in front of the Austin Truman stand.”

Aiming to increase their brand awareness through support of Salford City Reds, Andy Smith, General Sales Manager for Perrys Vauxhall said:

“Perrys are delighted to be involved with the sponsorship of Salford City Reds. As a club serving such a large community, the Reds offer Perrys the opportunity to expand our advertising base by engaging in this unique partnership and creating awareness for fellow supporters and business associates alike.

“In this day and age, virtually everybody has some form of motoring need and as the City Reds cover the sporting requirements of the area, we would like to be at the forefront of people’s minds when they are considering their motoring needs.

“We know we can deliver the service and quality that today’s customer expects. We have set high standards at Perrys and consider ourselves to be a ‘Super League’ motor retailer with “Top Flight” facilities for sales and after sales. So, “Come On You Reds” and visit our website today at www.perrys.co.uk

Littler Escapes Ban For Forearm Hit

Salford City Reds’ long-serving centre Stuart Littler escaped suspension by the Rugby Football League’s disciplinary committee on Tuesday after being charged with illegal use of the forearm in the Reds’ 22-10 defeat at Leeds on Friday.

Littler was referred to the hearing by the RFL’s match review panel for the 50th-minute challenge on Rhinos prop forward Ryan Bailey.

It was the 304th appearance of Littler’s career but his first of the season after his club record appearance run was ended at 163 games when he was left outfor Salford’s opening match at Hull KR.

With Willie Talau and Mark Henry fit again, Head Coach McRae has options available to him at centre for Friday night’s game at home to Bradford Bulls, and with the expected return of Daniel Holdsworth and Ray Cashmere, the Reds should be at full-strength providing Littler escapes punishment.

Tickets for the game are available from the link on the right or from the Club Shop.

The Christie Teams Up With Reds’ Stars

The famous Salford City Reds rugby team is throwing their weight behind The Christie charity’s appeal to raise £250,000 in partnership with the Salford Advertiser.

The Advertiser joined forces with the charity to raise a quarter of a million pounds towards the new £17million Christie radiotherapy centre being built at Salford Royal.

To kick off this partnership the club will be raising funds at their match on Friday 26th February at The Willows against Bradford Bulls.

The Manchester Show Choir will be performing before the game to warm up the crowd and a collection for the £250,000 appeal will take place before the match and at half time. Christie Bear and Reds mascot Ignito will also be on hand to make sure supporters dig deep.

Reds’ team captain Malcolm Alker said; “Salford City Reds are proud to be involved with The Christie charity’s appeal. The charity is close to many, many people’s hearts within our city and it will be an honour to be able to back their fabulous work. The target of a quarter of a million pounds is one we hope the people of Salford will get behind and help The Christie charity achieve.”

The Manchester Show choir is also co-ordinating a spectacular Mother’s Day concert at The Lowry in Salford Quays in aid of the appeal. ‘Does Your Mother Know’ will be performed on Sunday 14th March and will be hosted by Corrie stars Julie Hesmondhalgh aka Hayley Cropper and Julia Haworth aka Claire Peacock. The show will also feature performances by Hollyoaks actress Leah Hackett and former Coronation Street actor Bruno Langley who played Todd Grimshaw in the soap.

Community fundraising officer at the Christie charity, Ste Anderson, said; “It is fantastic to see the community of Salford getting behind this campaign in such spectacular style.
“This radiotherapy centre will transform cancer care for patients living in Salford which is why this appeal is so important. We are so grateful to Salford Reds for their support and we look forward to seeing a great turnout at their game tomorrow night.”

The centre will be the second in a network where cancer patients from Salford, Wigan and Bolton will be able to access first class radiotherapy treatments from Christie experts, but much closer to home. Building work has started and the centre will open in 2011. The first radiotherapy centre is opening in Oldham in March 2010.

As well as treating patients for the most common cancers like breast, bowel and lung, this special development will also be a national centre of excellence for treating brain conditions. It will be equipped to deliver stereotactic radiosurgery, a highly specialised neurosurgical technique for brain cancers – making it one of only a handful of such centres in the UK. Currently patients from Greater Manchester have to travel to Sheffield for this treatment.

Lucky Champs Sneak Past Much Improved Reds

After last week’s disappointment, Salford City Reds came mighty close to causing an upset at Headingley for the second year running, eventually going down to a highly flattering 22-10 scoreline. Missing key Aussies Ray Cashmere (calf) and Daniel Holdsworth at the last minute through illness, the Reds were in with a shot of a share of the spoils until the last 10 seconds of the game.

Match Report

Super League champions Leeds got back to winning ways but failed to impress and also suffered a major injury blow on the eve of the Gillette World Club Challenge.

Veteran centre Keith Senior grabbed two tries to maintain his record of scoring in all 15 seasons of Super League to give the Rhinos the edge against a spirited Salford outfit, who slumped to the foot of the table after a third defeat from three games.

But it was not a performance to fill Leeds with confidence going into next Sunday’s clash with Australian champions Melbourne Storm and their hopes were dealt a further blow with winger Scott Donald picking up a shoulder injury.

Still reeling from surprise back-to-back defeats by Castleford and Wakefield, the Rhinos got off to an ideal start with an eighth-minute try from Senior.

Second-rower Jamie Jones-Buchanan, who had been hauled down just short of the line moments earlier by Reds full-back Karl Fitzpatrick, produced a superb offload to get Senior over the line.

Kevin Sinfield’s conversion made it 6-0 but it went downhill from there for the Rhinos as Salford, looking for their first win of the season, rallied magnificently.

Donald, who scored Leeds’ only try in their World Club Challenge win over Melbourne two years ago, went off after jarring his shoulder in the 15th minute, forcing coach Brian McClennan to switch Jones-Buchanan from the pack in a reshuffled line-up.

The champions had plenty of possession but met much sterner resistance from the visitors, who for long periods looked capable of repeating last year’s shock win at Headingley.

Former Leeds three-quarter Ashley Gibson, who fumbled Sinfield’s early high kick and failed to take an awkward pass from Matty Smith with a clear opening in the Rhinos defence, recovered from his earlier blemishes to bring the Reds back into contention.

He got into his stride down the right flank and superbly fended off full-back Brent Webb to register his first try for his new club.

Stefan Ratchford was unable to add the conversion but, at 6-4, Salford were firmly in the game.

However, the Reds, who were without Australian duo Ray Cashmere and Daniel Holdsworth through injury, put themselves under pressure with a series of handling errors in the early part of the second half and Leeds made them pay.

When scrum-half Rob Burrow hoisted a high kick on the last tackle, Webb was the first to the ball and brought it down for the Rhinos’ second try.

Sinfield’s second goal made it 12-4 but the Reds almost scored the next try when Fitzpatrick chased Matty Smith’s kick only to be beaten by the dead-ball line.

However, Salford were not to be denied and on the hour centre Willie Talau pounced for a try after a rare handling error from Danny McGuire and Ratchford’s successful conversion cut the gap to only two points.

Senior spared the champions’ blushes, pouncing for his second try after 66 minutes when winger Ryan Hall palmed the ball back from Sinfield’s lofted kick, and second-rower Ian Kirke grabbed a try in injury time following Greg Eastwood’s break but they did little to lift the spirits of the 12,700 crowd.

Match Facts

Leeds (6) 22	Salford (4) 10
Tries: Senior 2, Webb, Kirke	Gibson, Talau
Goals: Sinfield 3	Ratchford
Attend: 12,700

Leeds: Webb, Donald, Watkins, Senior, Hall, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Diskin, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Kirke, Sinfield.
Replacements: Buderus, Eastwood, Lauitiiti, Bailey.

Salford: Fitzpatrick, Broughton, Henry, Talau, Gibson, Ratchford, M Smith, Boyle, Alker, Parker, Sibbit, Adamson, Swain.
Replacements: J Smith, Littler, Leuluai, Sidlow.

Referee: P Bentham (Warrington).

Attendance: 12,700.

McRae: All-Round Improvements Sought

Salford City Reds travel to Champions Leeds Rhinos tonight (Friday) seeking a marked improvement on last week’s performance against the Crusaders.

Headingly has not been a happy hunting ground for the Reds of late; however they did pull off a remarkable win last season and will be looking to build on that success as they seek a vast improvement to kick-start their season.

We have done a lot of work on our kick defence and intensity and we welcome back Willie Talau and Mark Henry tonight, who are two very experienced three-quarters, so that will give us a boost.

#Head Coach Shaun McRae said: “We’re looking for improvements in all departments. We need to work that little bit harder on the crucial plays, both offensively and defensively. We have done a lot of work on our kick defence and intensity and we welcome back Willie Talau and Mark Henry tonight, who are two very experienced three-quarters, so that will give us a boost.”

The Reds meanwhile will be missing pack talisman Ray Cashmere who will be absent for the first time since his arrival in England at the beginning of the 2009 season.

“Ray is a great leader in the pack and we will miss his presence and go-forward, but his absence will mean an opportunity for somebody else this week, but Ray will be back to face the Bulls at The Willows next Friday.”

Jackpot Bonanza? (17 Feb)

Now’s the time to find out if you are one of this week’s big winners on the Reds’ Golden Bond lottery. Each week you could win up to £10000 for a single Read more

Salford City College Eye Up Super League Trophy

With the arrival of the Super League Trophy to the club on a whistle stop tour, Salford City College RL academy took time out from a busy training schedule to visit the Willows and eye up the silverware on offer to the winners of the 2010 Super League campaign.

Currently top of the Northwest Colleges League the team have only one fixture left to play against Oldham College and will be hoping to repeat last year’s success and walk away with the title again, before taking a well deserved half term break.

With two Rugby League Development officers working within the college, coaching has been expanded to all five centres within Salford City College for the first time this year and is proving to have a positive impact.

Development officer Tom Wild said:

“Salford City College Rugby Academy is going from strength to strength and with us now operating across all campuses we are looking forward to have a good run in the champions college competition and get one over on the Yorkshire champions on Easter Monday at the willows.”

Post half term marks the start of the National Champions Colleges Competition with Salford City College playing against Great Sankey Sixth Form in the first round on the Wed 24 Feb.  The team are also looking forward to the War of the Roses Challenge Match against the Yorkshire champions Huddersfield which will be played as a curtain raiser to Salford City Reds Easter Monday fixture against Huddersfield.

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