Salford City Reds 10 Wakefield Trinity 46: Wakefield share the glory in eight-try triumph

Not Dr Marwan Koukash, of course. Salford City Reds’ ambitious owner had signed up to revitalise a club on the verge of extinction and turn them into Super League champions.

It seems the millionaire racehorse owner, spotted storming down to the dressing room when his abject side trailed 30-4 at half-time last night, will have to wait a while for that.

He may have the money for big-name signings but who, truly, would want to play for them? Possibly not even Elliott Whitehead.

However, for invigorated Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, this was certainly the sort of performance they had long been seeking.

An eight-try demolition of their sorry opponents, with just as many different scorers no less, secured a first win in five games for Richard Agar’s side and breathed new life into their season.

The signs were there last week when they gave leaders Wigan Warriors an almighty scare before eventually running out of steam.

Reinforced last night by the return of experienced half-backs Tim Smith and Paul Sykes, plus the always creative Ali Lauitiiti, they had all the tools necessary to deliver a morale-boosting victory that lifts them up a place to 10th and just four points adrift of those crucial play-off spots.

Admittedly, they will probably not face such dire opponents again during their 10-match run-in, but if they can repeat most of the repertoire on show here they have every chance of fulfilling their aim.

There were some notable milestones achieved amid the destruction of this embarrassing Salford side, not least a 100th career try for Sykes and a neat effort from Richard Mathers to mark the energetic full-back’s 250th career appearance.

Paul Aiton buzzed around at dummy-half, making the most of some lax defence to constantly get his side on the front foot, while captain Danny Kirmond continually punched holes out wide.

However, it was one of Wakefield’s less heralded players who really caught the eye, Kyle Amor coming off the bench to give them real impetus in their dominant first-half performance.

The Cumbrian prop was simply too robust for the hosts who struggled to contain his purposeful drives, off the back of which came most of Trinity’s best moments.

It was his surge down the middle and off-load for Mathers that saw Sykes go over just before the hooter by which time the game was already over.

Agar said: “We said coming in we felt it was a must-win game and we could not let it slip so I am pleased with what we did.

“We started slowly but our first try calmed the nerves a bit and overall I think we won the physical contest with Justin Poore, Kyle Amor – especially – and Danny Kirmond really carrying it strongly.

“That gave us a platform and we’ve learned some lessons from recent weeks. Although our kicking game didn’t cause heaps of problems it did turn them around and let us do what we did.

“We’re not going to start talking about the eight though. Our form hasn’t been good enough over the last month.”

Salford’s ineptitude started early. Although Kirmond fumbled the kick-off, Brian Noble’s side then spilled hopelessly in each of their opening three sets to set the tone.

Paradoxically, they scored the game’s first try with a move of real quality, fine, swift handling seeing ex-Leeds Rhinos youngster Danny Williams go over in the corner in the 11th minute. However, then it was all Wakefield.

When Ryan McGoldrick collared Kirmond high, Aiton was allowed to scramble over from dummy-half in front of the posts, Lee Gaskell missing a regulation tackle.

Trinity inexcusably let the restart bounce dead and Sykes was called upon to deny Williams as he went for the corner again.

But, soon after, it was the stand-off whose simple pass put Kirmond careering through a yawning gap for the visitors’ second try before a similarly basic assist allowed Dean Collis to ease through another huge chasm. Mathers got over when he raced onto Tim Smith’s perfectly-placed reverse grubber before Sykes added to the misery and, though the hosts started better in the second period, there was no amazing recovery.

Aiton could not believe the naivety of the home defence as he sucked them in to send Oliver Wilkes charging over from a ruck move and – although Jodie Broughton responded with a 90m intercept, Gaskell improving – Ben Cockayne and Peter Fox rounded things off for Trinity.

Lee Smith failed with only the last of his eight attempts at goal and Wakefield, who have 12 days now to prepare for another eminently winnable game at home to London Broncos, left in high spirits.

Salford City Reds: Gaskell; Williams, Gleeson, Gibson, Broughton; McGoldrick, Fages; Griffin, Foran, McPherson, Ashurst, Dixon, Wild. Substitutes: Walne, Mauro, Emmitt, Godwin.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats: Mathers; Fox, Collis, L Smith, Cockayne; Sykes, T Smith; Poore, Aiton, Wilkes, Walshaw, Kirmond, Washbrook. Substitutes: Lauitiiti, Amor, Mariano, Wildie.

Referee: Robert Hicks (Oldham).