Salford Red Devils were looking to regain ninth spot with a win over visitors Castleford Tigers. A win for Castleford would lift them up to sixth.

The two sides had shared the honours so far this season with Salford winning the opening Super League encounter by 32-16, but losing in the cup two months ago by 32-18.

Everything pointed to this being a close one as the sides jostle for top eight finishes.

The scoring got underway on eight minutes when Jake Webster went through a gap off a Luke Dorn pass to ground on the line. Luke Gale slotted over the extras.

The Red Devils scored their first of the game on thirteen when Gareth O'Brien threw the dummy and ran the angle off a Michael Dobson pass to go through a gap and cross from ten metres. O'Brien failed to convert his own try leaving his side two adrift.

Salford were in front after a beautiful grubber from Robert Lui found a chasing Michael Dobson to collect the bouncing ball and ground. This time O'Brien kicked the extras for 10-6.

Jake Websters second came on the half-hour, again with Luke Dorn as the provider with a delightful inside pass. Gale added the extras and the Tigers were back ahead by two points.

When Luke Dorn scored a superb jinking try by the sticks on forty-three, he gave Gale the easiest of conversions to open an eight point margin.

Mason Caton-Brown got the Red Devils back into the game on fifty nine when he took a miss-out pass to go down the right wing to score in the corner. O'Brien converted from the touchline for 16-18 and it was still anyone's game.

An O'Brien penalty kick levelled the scores at 18-18 on seventy-one and on seventy-four he kicked a forty-five metre penalty to edge his side in front after a high tackle.

The Red Devils held on for the remaining minutes and finished the game on the offensive. Following a high tackle seconds from the end O'Brien added a final penalty for a 22-18 win.

With the Salford points deduction appeal in mid-week, and success coupled with this crucial win could be the lifeline for the Red Devils making the top eight. The Tigers are back in the mire and far from safe from slipping back into the bottom four in three weeks time.

Red Devils: O'Brien (T, 4G), Caton-Brown (T), Griffin J, Sa'u, Johnson, Lui, Dobson (T), Kopczak, Tomkins, Murdoch-Masila, Jones, Flanagan, Griffin G. Subs: Walne J, Walne A, Kenny, Hauraki.

Tigers: Dorn (T), Monaghan, Crooks, Webster (2T), Flynn, Holmes, Gale (3G), Tickle, McShane, Patrick, Moors, McMeeken, Massey. Subs: Millington, Holmes, Springer, Milner.

Referee: James Child.

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