Saints were due to play Salford in Newcastle this weekend, so instead during the continuing UK lockdown we reflect on a 2005 meeting between the sides at Knowsley Road. Here’s how the Star covered the 46-12 Saints victory

ON this showing Saints’ right flank Aussie duo of Darren Albert and Jamie Lyon look set to have some real fun once the firmer grounds arrive.

They sent out another warning on Friday night when they terrorised the Reds, with Lyon bagging his first two tries in the red vee and Albert continuing his try in every game routine.

They worked well together, with their pace and power complemented, for a short spell, by new signing Vinnie Anderson, who ran strongly and showed good hands in his first game of the season.

Once the Kiwi Test forward gets a few more training sessions under his belt who knows what that side will be capable of in attack. If it turns into a combination half as deadly as the old left hand side trio of Chris Joynt, Paul Newlove and Anthony Sullivan, then Saints will be in for a productive season.

Salford had gone into the game with a pretty decent record but boosted by the returning Sean Long and Paul Sculthorpe, Saints ruthlessly put them to the sword rattling up 30 points in as many minutes.

Saints had declared their attacking intention as early as the second minute when they spurned an easy kick at goal to run the ball with Lyon touching down Long’s grubber to open his account.

Although the Reds, with skipper Malcolm Alker to the fore, then pressed for ten minutes, Saints soaked it up and rocked their opponents with a blitz of four tries in 13 minutes from Willie Talau, Long, Albert and Lyon.

There were a couple of gems in there to show Saints’ attack was ticking over a lot better than the previous week.

One such score came from a deft short ball from the strong running Paul Anderson who sent Lee Gilmour streaking through backed up by Long, who had the legs to do the rest.

Lyon’s second try was also a cracker with Aussie flyer Albert racing down the wing before turning it back for his try-hungry compatriot.

After a ten minute lull, the Aussie duo combined again to tear the Reds apart with Long cashing in on the disarray to steer a course to the corner for a spectacular touchdown.

With the game in the bag Saints were a bit more subdued in the second half, and Salford, no doubt inspired by the words of coach Karl Harrison showed more effort.

The game was already in the bag, but Ade Gardner’s well-taken try will have done his confidence some good.

Keiron Cunningham also grabbed a touchdown, with Simon Baldwin and Alker grabbing the Reds’ consolation scores in between.

Saints: Wellens; Albert, Lyon, Talau, Gardner; Sculthorpe, Long; Anderson, Higham, Fozzard, Gilmour, V. Anderson, Cunningham. Subs: Wilkin, Graham, Roby, Bennett.

Salford: Beverley; Hodgson, Littler, Johnson, Stewart; McGuinness, Robinson; Dickens, Alker, Rutgerson, Jonkers, Coley, Charles. Subs: Haggerty, Brocklehurst, Baldwin, Bamford.

Att: 9,971