Salford 12-6 Leigh: Five in a row for Red Devils

Match stats

Salford tries: Welham (39), O'Brien (68)
Conversions: O'Brien (15), Dobson (69)

Leigh tries: Brown (31)
Conversions: Reynolds (32)

Match report

Salford recorded their fifth successive Super League win with a hard-fought 12-6 success over Leigh at the AJ Bell Stadium.

Gareth O'Brien was on the end of a slick passing move to score the game's decisive try 12 minutes from the end, after Salford had been unable to breach some desperate Centurions defence.

The try, along with the conversion from Michael Dobson, proved just enough to keep the Red Devils at the top end of the table and condemned Leigh to their fourth consecutive defeat.

After a tense opening where scoring chances were at a premium, Salford took the lead with a 15th minute penalty from Gareth O'Brien - after Leigh were caught holding down at the tackle.

Leigh had not won a competitive game at Salford since 1983 but they took the lead 11 minutes before half-time.

A kick from Martyn Ridyard to the Salford in-goal area was touched down by centre Mitch Brown at full stretch. Ben Reynolds added the conversion for a 6-2 lead.

With only two minutes of the half remaining, Salford drew level when some quick passing to the right gave centre Kris Welham the opportunity to score. Dobson was unable to add the conversion.

Leigh half-back Reynolds saw a drop goal attempt go wide with moments of the first half remaining.

The home side dominated for much of the second half but were frustrated by a combination of last-ditch Leigh defence and handling errors in the increasingly slippy conditions.

As the game entered the final quarter, it looked like a drop goal might be the only way to settle the game.

But the decisive breakthrough came for the home side after a spell of intense pressure.

The ball was worked right to O'Brien and he cut inside to score what proved to be the match-winning try. Dobson added the goal.

Chances came and went in a frenetic final 10 minutes but Salford held on.

Match reaction

Salford boss Ian Watson: "We have talked about being resilient and coming through close games and we showed that again today.

"Last season we were involved in a lot of close games and just didn't quite get there."

"We won't get carried away with winning five games in a row.

"I thought Leigh were great and they turned up here and had a real dig. They are an aggressive team but our middles stood up to them pretty well.

"Gareth O'Brien (who scored the match-winning try) had been ill all night and as of 10am thought he wouldn't be playing.

"But he said he was okay and put his hand up to play, so it was a real good dig for us.

"In the first half we were a little bit off but in the second we controlled the game really well on the back of Michael Dobson's kicking game, which is what we wanted to do in the conditions."

Leigh coach Neil Jukes: "It was a really tough game.

"We were dumb in some of the plays which added some pressure on us. I thought Salford's game management and kicking game was superior.

"We hung in there but I am disappointed and the lads are really frustrated.

"Effort and attitude alone won't get us there. I thought our discipline was outstanding. But in the second half we killed ourselves with poor completion - it was only 50 per cent.

"We struggled to build pressure and our kicking needed to be better. We will get patched up for Easter Monday (at home to Hull) and be ready to go again."