St Helens 27-26 Salford

Struggling Salford were denied a gutsy point after Luke Robinson's late drop goal attempt cruelly hit the post, condemning them to a 27-26 defeat at St Helens.

Despite taking an early lead through a Willie Talou try, Saints were overwhelmed by the desire shown by bottom of the league Salford. The Reds looked set to claim their first win at Knowsley Road for a quarter of a century as they established a 14-26 lead shortly after the interval.

A neat chip from Robinson, collected by Ratchford, brought Salford back into the game before Leon Pryce crashed over to restore Saint's lead. Pryce then provided Salford with 2 tries, as both Wilshire and Hodgson capitalized on loose passes to give Salford the lead.

Francis Meli then responded for the Champions by driving over for an ugly but affective score.

Coley punished St Helens for further sloppy play by putting Salford in front at the break, gathering the dropped ball to give Salford a 14-22 half time lead.

The lead was extended when Wilshere grabbed his second, squeezing in at the corner, to give his side a 12 point advantage.

Despite fielding a youthful side, it was Saint's experienced players who dragged their side back into the match, with a try each for Cunningham and Gilmour drawing the side’s level following Sculthorpe's conversions.

Matty Smith then edged the home side in front late in the game before Salford's hearts were broken as they watched the ball rebound off the upright from a late drop goal attempt to claim a draw.

The win keeps Saints on top and Salford bottom however the Reds can take a lot of heart from their performance at the home of the Champions.