Johnstone stars as Wakey win

Wakefield have won their third Super League game in a row, the first time in three years, with a 32-18 victory over Salford at Belle Vue.

Winger Tom Johnstone continued his great form and bagged a hat-trick as the Wildcats ran over the top of the Red Devils in the second half.

Wakefied started strongly, racing to an early 12-0 lead thanks to tries to Jacob Miller and Mikey Sio.

Salford responded through Gareth O’Brien and Matt Sarsfield and the home team had a slender 16-12 lead at the break.

The Red Devils lifted ther game in the second half and enjoyed much more possession.

But Wakefield’s defence held and they posted two tries in the final six minutes to confirm their win. It was their third straight victory under the coaching of new boss Chris Chester.

“It was tough, very, very tough,” Chester said.

The coach hailed the impact of homegrown products Johnstone and fullback Max Jowitt.

“Tom’s deceptively very strong, he can finish a try as well.

“It just proves the acamdey is working here. There’s a lot of good kids at the academy.

“They say winning becomes a habit, we just have to continue the momentum.”