Salford Red Devils have ended their 13-game losing streak by claiming only their second league win of the season – against Castleford Tigers.
The Red Devils walked away with a 26-22 victory with a 10-point haul from Chris Hankinson making the difference.
Despite their ongoing financial crisis, second-half tries from Hankinson – who also kicked three conversions – and Esan Marsters saw them pull away for a richly deserved win.
Castleford, who sacked head coach Danny McGuire after last week’s loss to Huddersfield, plumbed new depths and faced barracking from a sizeable contingent of travelling fans as the minutes ticked down on another painful defeat.
The Red Devils celebrated in front of a supporting home crowd, which has seen them drop an average 42 points per match in a desperate campaign.
Paul Rowley’s side were boosted by short-term loan Olly Russell from Wakefield this week, Joe Mellor and Loghan Lewis returned after lengthy absences and debutant Declan Murphy fitted in superbly at the back.
The Red Devils weathered the storm of any Castleford attack – with Ethan Ryan scoring the opening try in the ninth minute.
Shorrock’s quick pass to Nikorima and his cut-out pass allowed Marsters to give Ryan a stroll in – Hankinson unfortunately missed the conversion.
Sadly, for the Red Devils the scores were then matched as Josh Simm finally made inroads in the corner to haul Castleford level.
Things started going downhill for the hosts with Lewis’s return cut short by head injury protocol before Daejarn Asi’s quick feet saw him shuffle through the Salford defence, with Chris Atkin’s conversion sending Cas six clear at 10-4.
But Salford struck back in the final three minutes of the first half, Harvey Wilson twisting through a gap in the leaky Castleford defence, then moments later Mellor crashing through to give them a boisterous 16-10 half-time lead.
𝙎𝙀𝘾𝙊𝙉𝘿-𝙃𝘼𝙇𝙁 / Your support has been incredible, let’s give the lads one big push for this second forty, Reds! ✊
👹 16-10 🐅 pic.twitter.com/2Z3JZuTO9E
— Salford Red Devils 👹 (@SalfordDevils) July 13, 2025
Asi skipped in for his second after Castleford pressure early in the second half, which Atkin duly converted to level, but Salford responded in the 53rd minute when Marsters bulled over to restore their advantage.
Hankinson converted to send the lead to 22-16.
And then Red Devils were then able to further their lead with a delicious grubber kick from Russell sent Hankinson over for a try of his own to stretch the Salford advantage to 10 points on the hour mark.
And with the Red Devils leading 26-16, they would have to hold for a further 20 minutes to be in touching distance of points.
But Castleford’s seldom threatened to muster a response until George Lawler pounced on a loose ball to bring the visitors back within four with two minutes left on the clock.
However, despite Castleford’s efforts the Red Devils were able to secure the long-awaited points, beginning the celebrations after being without a win since they met Huddersfield Giants early in the season.
The win closes the gap and restores life in this Red Devils team who have been determined to prove there is still more to give in a difficult season.
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Feature image taken from Betfred Super League X video.
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