Salford City Reds 10 Castleford Tigers 24: Troubled Owen starts to repay Castleford’s faith in him

Arrested for alleged assault on a Father Christmas-dressed supporter last Boxing Day, he could have been forgiven for thinking he was actually in Lapland given Salford’s awful Arctic conditions on Saturday evening.

Also fined and reprimanded for a breach of club discipline, not long after signing a significant long-term contract with his hometown, the 21-year-old knew he had to begin repenting. Given new coach Ian Millward had handed him his much-desired full-back jersey as well, controversially at the expense of the loaned-out and likeable Richard Mathers, and it is easy to see why Owen was eager to impress.

So, when his first two involvements proved to be a forward pass which denied Kirk Dixon a try and then another fired directly into touch, it seemed he might be freezing along with the 5,242 supporters on Salford City Stadium’s opening night.

However, Owen showed he has character as well as talent by responding positively to deliver a crucial performance, scoring two tries and creating another for Josh Griffin to earn Millward – back in Super League for the first time since his ill-fated spell with Wigan in 2006 – and his team-mates a well-deserved success.

“Hopefully I’ve started paying him back,” said Owen, who also dealt admirably with a succession of high kicks in the swirling wind and snow.

“And hopefully I’ll keep paying him back as the season goes on.

“It was pretty cold out there and just awkward more than anything. You didn’t know how the ball was going to bounce and you couldn’t really see it in the floodlights either with the snow being so bad.

“But you just play the weather and I think we played it the best we could.

“The boys did it really. The forwards set the platform and made it easy for me to score. I didn’t really have to do much.”

Owen was correct in his assertion about Castleford’s forwards who laboured tirelessly in the testing conditions.

However, while the game was understandably attritional it was also sprinkled with some quality passages as both sides endeavoured to entertain the crowd who had made such effort to get there.

Both Owen’s tries – in the 34th minute and two minutes before the end to quell hopes of a Salford fightback – came courtesy of some clever handling from Rangi Chase, the England stand-off whose delayed passes created just enough space for his full-back to exploit out wide.

Salford, who defied Wayne Godwin’s early injury to open the scoring when Matty Smith sliced through on 17 minutes, produced a brilliant effort which belied the conditions when Matty Ashurst finished off a rapier break involving at least seven passes six minutes from the end.

Castleford led 6-4 at half-time and extended that advantage shortly afterwards when Daryl Clark off-loaded to Owen following a typically sniping midfield break.

The full-back then showed great vision to direct a kick to Griffin’s wing and the ex-Wakefield man finished powerfully on his debut.

Kirk Dixon curled in an excellent conversion – he maintained a 100 per cent record – and when Chase’s chip over was met by Adam Milner, the visitors had done enough to spoil Salford’s ground-opening party.

Castleford host Bradford on Sunday and Owen added: “We just need to be consistent this year because we were a bit hit-and-miss last time.

“It was a good start but we’ve plenty to work on.”

Salford: Patten; Broughton, Gleeson, Moon, Williams; Holdsworth, Smith; James, Godwin, Jewitt, Ashurt, Adamson, Wild. Substitutes: Howarth, Palea’aesina, Anderson, Gledhill.

Castleford: Owen; Griffin, McGoldrick, Arundel, Dixon; Chase, Orr; Emmitt, Milner, Walker, Mitchell, Holmes, Jones. Substitutes: Clarke, Ferres, Massey, Nash.

Referee: T Alibert (Toulouse).