Super League: Widnes Vikings 21-20 Salford Red Devils

Danny Craven came off the bench to win the match for Widnes in the final minute

Widnes Vikings came from behind to beat Salford Red Devils in the final round of the regular Super League season.

With both teams already destined for the bottom four and The Qualifiers, Niall Evalds and Cory Paterson crossed either side of Chris Clarkson's try to put Salford 12-6 in front at the break.

Paddy Flynn and Scott Taylor exchanged tries to leave the visitors 10 ahead.

But Stefan Marsh and Aaron Heremaia touched down before Danny Craven's last-gasp drop-goal won it for Widnes.

Even though the dramatic late turnaround moved the Vikings up to ninth, both they and Salford will join fellow Super League sides Hull KR and Wakefield in the Super 8s phase of the campaign.

They will come up against Championship teams Leigh, Bradford, Sheffield and Halifax in The Qualifiers for the right to compete in the top tier again in 2016.

Widnes coach Denis Betts: "I didn't want Danny [Craven] to do it (drop the goal), I would sooner have him run the clock down, but I'm not complaining.

"I thought we deserved the win. We looked flat and off the pace at first. Salford came here on the back of last week (a 70-6 defeat at Leeds) and wanted to right a few wrongs.

"We played into their hands and it wasn't a great game but we wanted to win to secure the extra home match in the Middle Eights."

Salford's acting coach Ian Watson: "The effort was there but smartness wasn't. We were dominant for large parts of the game and Harrison Hansen led the line well and set the tone with his defence.

"But we can't afford to give cheap penalties away and we need to be smarter.

"It's a very solemn dressing room because we have a good group of players who were determined to win this one."

Widnes: Hanbury, Flynn, Dean, Marsh, Ah Van, Gilmore, Mellor, Cahill, Heremaia, Dudson, Clarkson, Galea, Isa.

Replacements: Gerrard, Leuluai, Manuokafoa, Craven.

Salford: Evalds, Jones-Bishop, Sa'u, J. Griffin, Johnson, Chase, Dobson, G. Griffin, Tomkins, Taylor, Paterson, Hansen, J. Walne.

Replacements: Hood, Morley, Forster, Krasniqi.

Att: 5,479

Referee: Richard Silverwood (RFL)