Super League: Salford Red Devils 20-0 Wakefield Trinity - Hosts humble struggling Trinity to keep up play-off push

Ryan Brierley has scored four tries in his past three games for Salford Red Devils

Salford Red Devils enhanced their play-off hopes and put together back-to-back wins as they comfortably beat Super League basement side Wakefield Trinity.

Ryan Brierley put the hosts ahead but it was not until the second half that Andy Ackers strolled over and Brierley blazed through for a third try late-on.

Marc Sneyd kicked four goals to take his league-leading tally to 78.

In contrast to Salford's play-off push, Wakefield's hopes of survival were further dented by another defeat.

Salford head coach Paul Rowley named the same side for the third game in a row after ending a six-game Super League losing streak with a 32-8 win over third-bottom Huddersfield seven days previously.

The Devils began brightly and full-back Brierley went under the posts having started in the hosts' half to put them ahead inside five minutes, with Sneyd slotting the extras.

Jay Pitts collected a pass from Mason Lino on Trinity's last tackle but was wrapped up well by Tim Lafai and Sneyd made them pay for failing to capitalise on a good spell by kicking a goal following a penalty for offside just before the half-hour.

A lung-busting burst from his own line by Joe Burgess almost led to a Devils try, only for a desperate ankle tap from Max Jowitt to deny him just before the line.

Sneyd sent a drop-goal wide seconds before the interval and the hosts piled on the pressure early in the second half only to be thwarted by some untimely errors.

Ackers eventually grabbed the second score nine minutes after the break after Trinity had attempted a short drop-out from their own line which bobbled kindly for the hooker to stroll through.

Sneyd kicked the Devils 14-0 infront and it was almost 18 when Innes Senior beat Ken Sio to a loose ball over the Trinity line on the hour.

Stand-off Brodie Croft agonisingly knocked-on with the line at his mercy as Salford sought to put the result beyond doubt but with time running out, Sio broke free and opted to pass to Brierley to tear to the line to seal it, with Sneyd converting from the touchline.

Sneyd kicked a drop-goal four minutes into golden-point extra-time to edge the Red Devils past Trinity 14-13 in March, while Wakefield thumped Salford 30-6 in the reverse at Belle Vue in June for one of their handful of wins in the opening 23 rounds.

They remain two points adrift of Castleford at the foot of the table.

Salford head coach Paul Rowley told BBC Radio Manchester:

"It wasn't a classic. I think my eyes were nearly bleeding at one point. It was probably one of the worst games I've seen. However, we've nilled a team and we've conceded one try in two games, it's a second win on the trot, I'm trying to look at the positives.

"It's not going to be memorable but the record books will say it's another win and we are still on course. We understand that we have got to be a lot better.

"It's what everyone has always wanted, anyone can beat anyone, it's really positive for the game, it's so unpredictable for the run-in. We can only take one game at a time."

Wakefield head coach Mark Applegarth told BBC Radio Leeds:

"It was a lesson in how to implode. We went in at half-time at 8-0. We spoke about getting composure - I thought we looked erratic in attack. I think we did the exact opposite.

"At the last count I think we'd come up with 18 unforced errors and you are not going to win any game doing that. I don't even think Salford played particularly well, we've only got ourselves to blame. Most of their tries were pretty soft tries on our part.

"We're running out of time, there are four games left and we need to sort it out. Some of the errors I wouldn't expect to see in an academy team, let alone a Super League team There will be changes - there have got to be consequences."

Salford: Brierley; Sio, Cross, Lafai, Burgess; Croft, Sneyd; Singleton, Ackers, Partington, Watkins, Stone, Addy.

Interchanges: Ormondroyd, Vuniyayawa, Atkin, Hellewell.

Wakefield: Jowitt; Senior, Griffin, Lyne, Lineham; Lino, Gale; Bowden, Hood, Whitbread, Ashurst, Pitts, Kay.

Interchanges: Dagger, Fifita, Atoni, Proctor.

Referee: Tom Grant.

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