Round 17
Salford City Reds 5 d. Harlequins 2

2007 engage English Super League Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: United Kingdom > National > First Grade Competition: engage English Super League

McRae's brings joy for Salford in first try-less Super League match
Sat June 16, 2007
Source: www.superleague.co.uk

John Wilshere's two penalties inspired a priceless victory for new Salford City Reds coach Shaun McRae from a low-scoring encounter in the Manchester drizzle.

The former St Helens, Gateshead and Hull FC coach signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with the engage Super League's bottom side on Monday to become Karl Harrison's successor.

The 48-year-old's immediate goal is to keep Salford in engage Super League and this success in his first game in charge takes them to within a point of fellow strugglers Hull Kingston Rovers and Warrington Wolves.

Ubiquitous centre Wilshere landed a penalty in either half and those scores, coupled with a 66th-minute drop goal from Luke Robinson, proved just enough to see off doughty Harlequins RL.

Yet the size of the task ahead for McRae was at times painfully obvious, with many passes undercooked and overplayed, resulting in precious few try-scoring opportunities.

Harlequins were no better, playing their own part in an error-strewn encounter which ensured a high penalty count and left both coaches tearing their hair out.

Ultimately, however, McRae's men prevailed and can take no little encouragement from the defensive fortitude which laid the platform for their hard-earned success.

That only Wilshere's penalty separated the sides when the half-time hooter sounded said everything about the commitment of both sides.

That was emphasised in the sixth minute when a bewildering array of inter-passing between Malcolm Alker, Robinson and Luke Dorn culminated in the latter finding Wilshere in the right corner.

Wilshere looked set to cap the move with a try but Tyrone Smith's outstanding last-ditch tackle halted his progress just short of the line.

A familiar pattern followed thereafter, with Salford's Robinson and Harlequins' rival No.7 Danny Orr doing their utmost to split the opposition but not quite managing to penetrate the last line of defence.

Former Wigan Warriors scrum-half Orr was key to all Harlequins' most promising attacks, but chances remained few and far between and only Wilshere's two-pointer could separate the sides at the break.

Salford threatened to turn their lead into something more meaningful after the restart following a period of sustained pressure on the visitors' line.

But it amounted to nothing and Quins enjoyed a purple patch of their own which reaped rich dividends in the 53rd minute when a penalty from Paul Sykes drew them level.

Salford's impressive scrambling defence had managed to withstand a probing Quins attack, with Julien Rinaldi coming within inches of grounding the ball.

But that was enough to force a penalty which Sykes easily converted to draw the Londoners level at 2-2.

However, Salford began to dominate as the game wore on and Robinson's expertly-taken drop-goal from 25 metres gave them an all-important advantage with 13 minutes remaining.

Better was to come for the Reds three minutes later when Wilshere landed another routine penalty to seal a momentous and potentially season-defining win - and hand McRae the perfect start.

Report source: www.superleague.co.uk

Article: Opener proves trying for McRae

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