VIDEO - Castleford Tigers 32 Salford 18: McShane provides a fitting tribute to Millward

Admittedly, Paul McShane is not really a half-back and, indeed, the combative hooker was only told 48 hours before Saturday’s televised tie that he would be operating as their seven.

However, pressed into the role given an hamstring injury to captain Luke Gale, the former Leeds Rhino looked like he had played there all his life.

It was all the more an impressive performance given the stand-off alongside him for depleted Castleford was his usual front-row colleague, Australian prop Grant Millington.

Nevertheless, after a series of probing kicks, some clever handling and even a try of his own later, McShane had helped his side overcome the odds, end a three-game losing run and progress into the last eight where they will meet Wigan Warriors.

Asked about their unlikely partnership, Millington – third-choice captain with Gale and Michael Shenton missing – said: “It’s a bit of a weird one isn’t it?

“I think we were lucky I played at stand-off last week as well and it gave us a chance to put in a new structure where it made it easier for our half-back to get us around the park.

“Obviously I’m not playing a traditional stand-off role – I’m doing a bit more running and still doing a bit of passing –0 but Macca is a pretty cluey player and he just slotted straight in.

“He strikes the ball really well and when you’ve got a kicker like Galey there and Benny Roberts he doesn’t usually have to kick that much. But he proved today that he’s got that in his armoury and can pull it out whenever he wants.

“I think Macca will take a lot of confidence from that and we’ll probably be seeing him doing a bit more out of hooker in the near future.

“It was not too hard for him to get to grips with that structure and he helped us really grind that one out which is what we’ve been trying to do all year.

“It’s so pleasing having so many top-line players out at the moment and it’s probably the best win I’ve been part of here in a long time.”

Castleford had seven regular first-teamers absent and though head coach Daryl Powell has had longer injury lists this term, he arguably has never had as many influential players missing.

England centre Shenton, both first choice half-backs (Roberts and Gale), totemic prop Andy Lynch – who broke a leg the previous week – industrious second-row Oli Holmes and Luke Dorn, the dynamic full-back named on the bench for his return from injury against Salford only to suffer a relapse during the warm-up.

Dorn’s omission saw Danny Tickle make his debut, the former England second-row looking relatively sharp in his first game in eight months. There was a stellar display, too, from Junior Moors, the hulking Samoa back-row who so often swatted Salford defenders aside.

Despite being in control of much of the first half, Castleford were 12-6 behind after 35 minutes due to Junior Sa’u brace, converted by Gareth O’Brien. However, their efforts were rewarded with two tries in as many minutes before the break, Jake Webster benefitting from a perfectly-weighted chip by McShane and then some fine handling from Ryan Hampshire and Ben Crooks seeing Joel Monaghan put Mike McMeeken over for his second.

McShane confidently converted all three and when Denny Solomona scored early in the second half much to the chagrin of Salford – video replays showed the prolific winger never grounded the ball – they were 22-12 ahead.

Robert Lui replied for Salford but McShane – signed from Wakefield last summer – showed cleverness by bustling over on the last tackle to ease tension before Solomona intercepted Michael Dobson’s pass to race 90m for his 16th try of the campaign.

Millington, 29, added: “I missed Wembley when we got there in 2014 due to a knee injury so that’s a special one for me as it puts us that one step closer.

“It was an important win for the side, too, and we have to maintain that attitude in defence now.”

There was a minute’s applause beforehand for Millward, the legendary former Castleford, Hull KR and Great Britain stand-off who died last Monday aged 68.

Castleford Tigers: Hampshire; Monaghan, Crooks, Webster, Solomona; Millington, McShane; Patrick, Milner, Jewitt, Moors, McMeeken, Massey. Substitutes: Cook, Springer, Hitchcox, Tickle.

Salford Red Devils: O’Brien; Vidot, Jones, Sa’u, Carney; Lui, Dobson; Kopczak, Joseph, G Griffin, Murdoch-Masila, Hauraki, Flanagan. Substitutes: J Walne, A Walne, Krasniqi, Evalds.

Referee: J Child (Dewsbury).