Salford will be in the hat for the last 16 draw of The Challenge Cup after an emphatic victory over a brave Rochdale Hornets side.
The plucky visitors started well, moving the ball from the kick off chancing their arm down Salford’s edge.
The Red Devil’s clicked in to gear early on, Greg Burke with some neat footwork to score the opening try.
Three more tries followed, Niall Evalds danced over. Salford’s star fullback looked razor sharp all night with his burst of pace and hot stepping.
Pack grafter Gil Dudson powered before over tries from Ed Chamberlain and Logan Tomkins.
Krisnan Inu showed his explosive power playing in the centres and his off load put Evalds in for his second try. Chamberlain with the conversion to put Salford 34-0 up.
Hornets continued to chip away and were rewarded with a try from experienced winger Shaun Ainscough.
Jake Bibby scored Salford’s seventh try of the first half to round off an entertaining forty minutes.
As the second half got under way Josh Wood made his first Salford appearance of the season to the delight of the home supporters. After Josh’s recent injury worries it certainly was a relief to see him back in a red jersey.
One real worry for Salford boss Ian Watson is the injury picked up by Ed Chamberlain. The flying winger had to be helped from the field by the medical staff after suffering what looked like a knee injury.
The first points of the second half came from Bibby who touched down after Burke’s sublime pass.
Niall Evalds added two more tries to take his tally to four for the match before George Griffin and Robert Lui grabbed tries of there own.
Inu took the goal kicking responsibilities for the second half and nailed them all to take the score to 70-6. He also got on the try scoring list late on showing great strength to skittle the Hornets defence.
Watson seemed pleased with the intensity his team showed throughout the match with Salford never really easing up. The concern is definitely with Ed Chamberlain who will have a scan in the coming days to reveal the extent of his injury.
The Red Devil’s now face Warrington on good Friday and Wigan on Easter Monday in what looks a very tough Easter schedule. Watson was relishing the challenge in front of him at what is now a pivotal point in the season.
Rochdale Hornets face big challenges of their own in the quest to survive in The Championship. They face Swinton and Sheffield over Easter.
Salford 76 Rochdale Hornets 6.
Pictures by Steve McCormick
Paul Whiteside.
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