Watson encouraged by Salford’s Rochdale win

Salford coach Ian Watson was pleased with his team’s performance in their friendly against Rochdale Hornets on Sunday.

The Red Devils won the game 44-18, and Watson saw enough encouraging signs in his teams’s display for him to feel optimisitic about the season ahead.

“It was a good hit out for us, we’re at the point where we needed a game just to work on a few things in that kind of pressure situation that you get from having a defence up in your face,” he told his club’s official website.

“All in all we’re pleased with it, the only downside is the couple of injuries we’ve picked up in the first half.

“It was a really worthwhile hit out for us, and Rochdale gave us a tough test last year as well, and there were points in the game today when they came back at us and tested us, and thats what we wanted at this point in the season.”

Centre Kris Welham, recently signed from Bradford, made his debut for the club, and Watson was impressed with his performance.

“Kris Welham was good for us with that centre ability to put Johnno away in the corner,” he added.

“It’s probably been a while since we’ve had a centre with that ability to catch and pass with the defence right up in your face.”