Salford RLFC caretaker boss Dave Hewitt called on his side to “take the emotion” out of Sunday’s local derby at Swinton Lions.
Hewitt took charge of Salford’s narrow defeat to Halifax Panthers on Friday night and is relishing the opportunity to lead the club into their first league game against Swinton Lions for over 33 years.
The former Oldham stand-off stepped into the head coaching role following Mike Grady’s departure in March and said he has “loved every minute” of his time at the helm.
And he was in an upbeat mood speaking to the press ahead of Sunday’s much-anticipated meeting between the Salford rivals.
He said: “I’ve played at Swinton quite a few times over the last few years as a player for obviously numerous local clubs like Oldham and Rochdale, so I know exactly how their crowd are going to be. The fans are on top of you; they’re in your face.
“My key message to the players has been to take it day by day, session by session and to control the things we can do in preparation for that kick-off at 2pm on Sunday.
“We have to take the emotion out of it, stick to our process and hopefully we’ll see a really good game where we’ll come out on top.”
Hewitt will have had 12 days under his belt as Salford boss by the time he takes to the dugout at Heywood Road on Sunday, longer than his opposite number, Anthony Murray, who was only appointed as Swinton chief on 30 March.
Hewitt stressed the importance of executing the basics in a game played in front of a charged atmosphere between two teams that have had little time to adjust to their new coaches’ methods.
“It’s going to come down to those key moments in terms of controlling the game, finishing our sets well and in the right areas and doing all the basic stuff that we have been working on,” he said.
18th-placed Salford’s only win of the season came in February against Hunslet and Hewitt identified “discipline” as the key factor that will determine the outcome of their game against winless Swinton Lions.
“There’s going to be emotions riding on it. They’ve got a lot of young, eager players and we’re the same in terms of young and eager.
“In the games that I’ve played in previously, the people who manage their emotions and discipline the best usually come out on top,” he added.
Hewitt saluted the beginning of “a new journey” after Salford’s defeat against Halifax, but said he has not been given the go-ahead by club CEO Ryan Brierley to lead the club in the long run.
“The conversation is exactly the same as what I had with Ryan last week. I’ve just got to take it day by day, week by week.
“I can’t control anything that’s going on in the background from the club’s point of view. I can just control what I’m doing every single day for these players and the squad and the club, while the responsibility is on me. I’ll try my best to put my best foot forward, but ultimately, that’s a club decision,” he explained.
Salford RLFC will travel to Heywood Road to take on Swinton Lions in the first meeting between the local rivals in more than three decades, 2pm kick-off on Sunday.
