Report by Frank Grundy.

For the first 15 minutes the Reds were out of sorts - a combination perhaps of lack of match practise, a lot of new faces and a biting wind which led to a lot of dropped passes and penalties during the opening exchanges. Things quickly got much better, with Reds going on to score eight tries and seven goals by the time the final hooter sounded, including a hat-trick for Daley Williams who looked very sharp and fit, along with a brace of tries for Adam Sidlow who was busy throughout and once again pushed his claim for an extended run in the first team.

The first points however went to Oldham on 15 minutes as they converted a penalty after a play the ball offence by the Reds in front of their own posts. The Reds number 13 Josh Saunders responded almost immediately with a try following a good run. The conversion was successful from under the posts courtesy of the boot of Reds winger Darren Fletcher. Oldham refused to lie down though and scored a try of their own on 20 minutes when a cross field kick was collected by Lucas Onyango and converted by Stephen Fisher to give Oldham an 8-6 lead.

Again the Reds struck back immediately when Daley Williams swerved and stepped his way over for a great first try. Salford then dominated up until half time, scoring again to go in with a healthy 16-8 lead.

The second half began as the first had ended with a further try for the Reds, with hooker Mark Hobson crashing over for a converted score near the posts. Good play and excellent handling created the opportunity for Adam Sidlow to score his first try of the game, and the big forward’s super dummy and surprising turn of pace saw him scoot over untouched from 30 yards out.

The next try gave trialist fullback Jonny Campbell a chance to show what he hopes to do regularly for the Reds in future - an impressive break, swerve and change of pace completely bamboozling his opposite number. The procession of Reds tries continued right up until the end with Adam Sidlow adding to his tally and Daley Williams again showing he still has all the talent required to make it at the very top of the game by completing a fantastic hat trick.

All in all a very satisfying run out for the Reds after a shakey start and a really good game to watch.

Final Score: Reds 46 Oldham 8