Celebrations Continue Against Warrington

Fantastic Prices for EVERYONE!
With the whole club on a high following final confirmation that in 2012 the Reds will move to a new home in Salford’s £26m community stadium, owned and managed by Salford City Council & Peel, the Reds are looking to maintain their upsurge in form with another famous home victory over the old enemy Warrington Wolves.

Both clubs will be out for revenge, with the Reds smarting from a heavy defeat to the Wolves at the Magic Weekend and Warrington still stewing over the Reds dramatic home victory in this fixture last year, and a bumper crowd is expected for what should be a fantastic match!

With the Reds having fine reason to be in such a good mood we have decided to extend the successful reduced entry price promotion that was so successful against St Helens – this is the last time we will be offering such incredible prices so make sure you take advantage now by bringing along as many of your friends and family as you can! This offer is only available to pre-purchasers until 5pm on Thursday 3 June 2010, after which time prices will go up by £3 per ticket for match day!

The long goodbye to The Willows has officially begun, so make sure you are a part of this momentous occasion in the history of the City of Salford.

MEMBERS PRICES vs. WARRINGTON WOLVES, FRIDAY 4 JUNE, 8pm @ The Willows
Adults            £12
Seniors & Students    £7
Juniors            £3
We are also offering EVERY SEASON TICKET HOLDER the chance to buy a 2010 Home Shirt for just £20 (RRP £40) and ALL PAY AS YOU GO MEMBERS the chance to buy two 2010 Home Shirts for the price of one! This offer is available NOW and will remain on until kick-off at the Warrington game!

Local Boy Neal Comes Home To Salford

Salford City Reds have bolstered their forward ranks with the loan signing of Adam Neal from neighbours Warrington Wolves, initially on a one-month deal. The Reds have been hit with long-term injuries to both starting props Ray Cashmere and Rob Parker in recent weeks, and though the Reds have picked up back-to-back wins, the Club’s management felt that an extra body was needed at The Willows.

20-year-old Neal was born just down the road from the new City of Salford Community Stadium in Irlam, where work began on site last week. He made his debut for the Wolves against Leigh Centurions in 2008 in the Carnegie Challenge Cup.

Director of Football Steve Simms said: “Adam has joined us for an initial one-month loan so we can take a look at him. He’s an exciting prospect and we are definiately short of props at the moment so during the next four weeks we can see how things work out for both parties.”

Lottery Winners (19 May)

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

Tigers Game Switched

Salford City Reds home Engage Super League fixture against the Castleford Tigers has been switched to Sunday 20 June, kickoff 3pm. The game had initially be scheduled Read more

Reds Complete Momentus Week With Second Win

It’s been quite a seven days for the City Reds, beginning with the huge win over St Helens last Saturday and completed by a second win on the bounce with their 14-22 victory over the Dragons in Perpignon. In between, of course, was the announcement that work had finally begun in earnest at the site of their new home in Barton. This latest win owed much to the increasing presence of half-back combo Daniel Holdsworth and Matty Smith, with the former kicking five goals, including a couple of vital ones from the touchline. It leaves the Reds on 10 points with a week off before they try to avenge a humiliating defeat at the hands of Warrington Wolves at the beginning of the month. That is looking increasingly like being a very interesting fixture indeed with the Reds in their current form.

Match Report

Salford City Reds produced performance of true Lancashire grit to beat Catalans Dragons on their home patch.

The defeat left Catalans rooted to the foot of the Super League with next week’s Challenge Cup quarter-final against Batley Bulldogs to which to look forward.

Salford took the lead in the fourth minute, capitalising on a forced goal-line drop out as Stuart Littler burst on to a Daniel Holdsworth pass and took two Catalans defenders over with him. Holdsworth added the conversion from wide on the right.

Catalans had not touched the ball after the restart when Salford took advantage of a compressed Dragons defence with Jodie Broughton making a break down the left wing.

After Catalans had given away a penalty for being offside, the ball was sent wide and good footwork by full-back Karl Fitzpatrick saw him go past Dragons winger Frederic Vaccari to score in the corner.

Holdsworth again added the touchline conversion and the visitors had a deserved 12-point advantage.

The home side took until the 29th minute to look like scoring, when a Tony Gigot kick-through was just knocked on by the chasing Dimitri Pelo.

Just on the half-time hooter, Catalans were awarded a penalty for a grapple tackle.

Instead of running the ball, the Dragons elected to kick at goal and Thomas Bosc converted to get the Dragons on the scoreboard.

Salford started the second half like they began the first with a high Matty Smith kick being knocked-on by Setaimata Sa.

Salford substitute, Phil Leuluai was on hand to scoop up the loose ball and dive in under the posts.

Referee Phil Bentham referred the decision to the video referee and the try was eventually awarded. Holdsworth added the easy conversion to increase Salford’s lead to 16 points.

The hosts eventually registered a try on 58 minutes when a Jerome Guisset off-load found Brent Sherwin, who despite being tackled managed to get away a superb kick through that Bosc chipped on and collected to score next to the posts. Bosc then added the conversion to narrow the gap.

The momentum was with Catalans but a 60-metre break by winger Vaccari saw his final pass go to ground with the supporting Pelo showing his frustration.

With 11 minutes remaining the visitors extended their lead after a penalty for a grapple tackle, Holdsworth with the goal.

Two minutes later the Dragons had hope of snatching a dramatic comeback when Karl Fitzpatrick allowed Bosc’s kick-through to bounce and Olivier Elima managed to stretch out a leg to hack the ball on.

Bosc collected the kick to touch down. Bosc again added the conversion to narrow the gap to six points.

All Dragons hopes were ended when Gregory Mounis was sent off for a dangerous tackle with five minutes remaining. Holdsworth was again on hand to score the penalty and increase the lead to an unassailable eight points.

Match Facts

Catalans Dragons (2) 14
Tries: Bosc 2 Goals: Bosc 3

Salford (12) 22
Tries: Fitzpatrick, Littler, Leuluai
Goals: Holdsworth 5

Catalans Dragons: Pelo, Bell, Raguin, Sa, Vaccari, Sherwin, Bosc, Casty, K Bentley, Guisset, Elima, Mounis, Johnson.
Replacements: Carlaw, A Bentley, Fakir, Gigot.

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

Referee: Phil Bentham (Warrington).

Attendance: 5,115.

The Graced The Willows : Bill Burgess

Our new feature on the greatest names to have graced The Willows shoots to the 1960s with our look at one of our greatest ever wingers, Bill Burgess. Former RU star Burgess made a huge impact on the club and we take a look at what he achieved during his time in Salford. Let’s get going.

Bill Burgess

One of the most respected wingers to have played for Salford, a match winner without doubt. He played for GB on 14 occasions, two fewer than his father Bill senior, who was a Down Under Tourist in both 1924 and 1928.

Young Bill made his mark at Barrow after turning professional from Fylde RU for a fee of £7000 towards the end of the 1960-61 season.

He set the town of Barrow alight with a hat-trick of tries on his debut in the opening match of the 1961-62 season at Doncaster and two days later scored two more against Oldham in his home debut.

HE soon impressed the selectors with his electrifying speed and change of pace and after just half a dozen club games he made his debut for Lancashire against the NZ Tourists.
In the 1962-63 season he notched four tries for Lancashire against Cumberland, then scored two tries for England in his debut match against France which produced an 18-6 victory.
That performance in turn earned hi a call-up for GB in their 17-12 defeat to France at Perpignon.

That was the first of his 14 caps for GB but probably the highlight of his International career came on the GB Tour of Australia in 1966 when he played in all five Tests. He scored a wonderful try on the Sydney Cricket Ground in the 1st test that even had the Aussie diehards cheering.

He scored a try on his farewell appearance for Barrow against Swinton on 6 December 1968 prior to his £6000 transfer to Salford, making his debut for the Reds in the 17-3 victory over Wakefield Trinity at The Willows a fortnight later.

Bill was an instant hit with the fans at Salford and there was no finer sight than seeing him speeding down the wing.

He assisted Salford to a sixth place finish in the League, their highest position for nearly 20 years but it was the Reds’ cup exploits that set the City buzzing.

Salford battled their way to the Challenge Cup Final in 1969 and along the way disposed of Batley (17-2), Workington (!2-5), Widnes (20-7) and Warrington (15-8) in the semi-final.
Bill scored a try in three of those games but his threat was blunted in the defeat to Castleford in the Final, when a tackle early on left him dazed for the rest of the game.

Whilst at Salford, Bill made just one appearance for GB, two for England and one for Lancashire. His 33 tries in just 44 appearances at Salford showed his pedigree but a series of shoulder injuries brought his magnificent career to a premature end.

Reds Urge Fans to Pay Flying Visit

Reds Captain Malcolm Alker is urging Reds supporters who are not travelling to the fixture against Catalan Dragons this weekend, to visit the Royal Air Force Town Hall Show Read more

They Graced The Willows : Steve Gibson

The second in our series of Reds’ legends who have made their time special at The Willows. To celebrate the sands of time running out at our famous old stadium, our attention switches to the late Eighties and one of the Reds’ most popular Australian imports ever, and recent returnee to Weaste for a farewell visit – Steve Gibson.

Steve Gibson

Probably one of the most popular players to have graced The Willows in recent times was full-back Steve Gibson.

When he first came to Salford from Brisbane Souths in August 1987 he was virtually an unknown quantity but within a short space of time he became one of the mainstays of the Reds’ line-up.

When full-back Garry Jack returned Down Under, “Gibbo” really came into his own and proved to be a more than useful acquisition.

He became firmly entrenched at full-back and during the 1987-1988 season he won several Man of the Match awards and also the sponsors Trenchman Trophy awarded for the best performer in home fixtures.

He helped the Reds reach the semi-final of the Challenge Cup that same season but Wigan proved to be too strong on the day and they ran out 34-4 winners.

Steve’s level of fitness and commitment were such that he rarely missed a game, although when Salford met Wigan in the 1988 Lancashire Cup Final at St Helens, he had to sit it out through suspension after being sent off a week earlier in a League match against Oldham at The Willows.

His attacking prowess enabled him to score many exciting long-range tries and in his first season at the club he was top try scorer with a total of 13, but his best season was 1990-91 when he notched a total of 17 tries.

He was not particularly fast but he possessed a great hand-off and his unusual style of play made him awkward to tackle.

Steve played a big part in the Reds dual successes of both the Second Division Championship and Premiership in 1990-91 and so assisted the Reds back into the top flight.

After that when the club fought hard to retain its First Division status, “Gibbo” played his part in both attack and defence. In 1991-92 he helped Salford reach the semi-final of the Regal Trophy but we went down to a 22-15 defeat at the hands of Leeds.

He suffered a loss of form in the 1992-93 campaign which restricted him to 15 appearances but he was always determined to fight for his place.

However, the return of Garry to The Willows meant that his chances were even slimmer. Consequently he moved to Rochdale Hornets as Player/ Coach in October 1993 after scoring 73 tries in 169 appearances for Salford.

He hardly missed a match for the Hornets until May 1996 when Shane Tupaea took over as coach. Steve then played for Swinton and Leigh before his career came to an end.

Countdown to £26 Million Stadium

The countdown has begun for Salford’s £26 million community stadium – the largest single investment in sport in the city for decades – as work officially starts on site.

Salford City Council has formed a joint venture company with Peel to deliver the 15-000 capacity stadium – which will be home to the Reds – by December 2011.

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is funding the £4 million cost of preparing the Barton site for development and joined the joint venture partners at a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony today (Tuesday, May 18)

After the ground is prepared, construction of the new stadium will start in October. Development of the site will be phased, with retail units added later.

Salford council and Peel have pooled their land-holdings to create a single, 70-acre super-site. Detailed proposals for the development are to be considered by council planners in August.

A delivery date of December 2011 has been agreed for the stadium in order to boost the Reds’ bid for a new Super League licence earlier in the year – and to be ready for the 2012 Super League season.

The joint venture company would manage the stadium, with the Reds having a licence to use it.

As well as a grant from the NWDA, funding for the site’s regeneration will come in a loan from the city council to the joint venture company to pay for the construction work and new infrastructure.

In the business case for the new stadium, the loan will be repaid by selling the developed land to retail tenants and with income from people and clubs using the facility, including ticket sales, car parking, advertising, and conference and banqueting venue hire.

Salford City Council leader, Cllr John Merry said: “Today’s ground-breaking is another milestone in Salford’s regeneration and marks the next stage in our journey toward a new sports stadium for the city.

“The partnership we’ve created will deliver an important cultural – and economic – asset for the city and gives residents a no-cost stake in that success.

“I look forward to our stadium’s completion – and to welcoming the Super League Reds to it in February 2012!”

Mike Butterworth, property director at Peel said: “The stadium is a long held ambition of both the club and the council to have a new sporting venue and we are pleased to play our part in helping to bring this to fruition.

“This is the start of a major redevelopment of this corner of Salford and we look forward to seeing the exciting transformation in the coming years.”

Steve Broomhead, chief executive of the NWDA, said: “It is excellent that work is progressing on a project which will bring considerable social and economic benefits to Salford.

“The new stadium will bring 45 acres of derelict brownfield land back into productive use for the community, provide a new venue for events which will benefit the visitor economy and create new jobs.”

Chairman of Salford City Reds, John Wilkinson OBE said: “Today is a landmark event in the history of the Salford Rugby Club and certainly one of the most momentous I can remember throughout my long involvement with the Reds.

“It is the beginning of the end of one of the toughest journeys the club has ever been on, and we are fortunate to have such fantastic partners as the city of Salford and Peel to provide a superb new stadium that will benefit all the people of the city, their Rugby Club and Super League – we look forward to working with them to ensure a successful new venue that everyone in Salford will be rightly proud of.”

They Graced The Willows : Jack Gore

In the first of a new series to celebrate  our famous old Stadium, we look back at some of the great names and characters of rugby league who have turned out in the famous red shirt here at The Willows. Here we head back to the 1920s and the time of a famous Welsh forward..

Jack Gore

John Henry Gore was born at Blaina on 16 June 1899 and his first experience of rugby came at Blaina Central School, where he captained the side at the age of 13.

He played for local side Blaina when he left school and also assisted Abertillery, Ebbw Vale and Redegar when his own team had no game. He represented Monmouthshire on several occasions and quickly caught the eye of the Welsh RU selectors.

Twice chosen as reserve in the games against England and Scotland he eventually gained the first of his four caps against Ireland at Cardiff Arms Park on March 8 1924.

He later played in the Internationals against France, NZ and England, his last cap being being at Twickenham on January 17 1925.

Exactly a fortnight later he was making his debut for Salford having moved North for a £450 fee. His inaugural game for Salford saw him at loose forward in a fixture at St Helens on January 31 1925.

He was installed as captain at the start of the 1925-26 season but it was a hard slog for the Reds who won 11 matches out of the 34 fixtures, leaving them in 21st position at the end of the campaign.

Jack was the backbone of the side though and he rarely missed a game.

During the 1926-27 season he led the side against the NZ Tourists and was a try scorer in the 18 points to 10 defeat. A month later he was selected for Wales against the NZ Tourists at Pontypridd and he capped a fine performances by scoring two tries in the Welsh side’s tremendous 34-8 victory, played out in front of 18000 rapturous fans.

That display earned him a call up for GB against the NZ side in the 3rd Test at Leeds and he helped them gain a 32-17 success.

In April 1927 he was in the Welsh team that lost to England b y11 points to 8 at The Cliff and at the end of that month he and Salford team mate Llew Williams were selected for Monmouthshire against Glamorgan.

In 1927-28 he played for the combined Glamorgan . Monmouthshire side twice and also was a try scorer for the Welsh side that lost to England by 20 points to 12.

Salford continued to struggle though and Jack Gore asked to be placed on the transfer list.
After playing 125 games for Salford he returned to South Wales during the 1928 close-season and later became a licensee.

During his playing career the South Wales News referred to him as one of the greatest forwards Wales had ever produced.

A great compliment indeed.

Next Page »