Chester keen to go one better

Wakefield head coach Chris Chester says Salford will be back to their best when the two teams clash in the last eight of the Challenge Cup.

The Red Devils have lost their last two league games including a 34-24 defeat against Trinity two weeks ago, but Chester expects Ian Watson’s side will be gunning for revenge on Thursday.

“They’ll be hurting after the performance at the weekend,” he said. “I watched the game and they were very un-Salford like.

“They didn’t complete very well and looked a tired team. They’ve had a few more days off and I’m expecting them to come out firing like the week before when we played them.

“They’re a big physical side – they’ve got some smart halves, some real good outside backs as well, so it’ll be a great contest.

“I really like this competition – I enjoyed playing in it and I enjoy coaching in it. The boys are really looking forward to getting on the field on thursday night.”

Victory over Salford would give Wakefield a second successive appearance in the cup semi-finals. They were knocked out last year by Warrington and Chester is eager to go one better this time around.

“I would be very, very proud to be associated with a team that got through to a semi-final two years on the bounce,” he added.

“It would be even better if we got to the final, but I’m sure Salford have got a lot to say about that. On our day we can beat anybody and we know that it’s just about doing the little things really well and if we do that I’m confident we can get a result.

“We’ve gone on a nice little run – we’re one of the form teams in the competition and we don’t fear anybody at this moment in time.

“That’s a good feeling to have and there’s a real good bond between the boys and the staff. We get on very well together and we’ve got a good group.”