Watson: Our work ethic was a decisive factor

Sheer determination played a massive part in helping Salford secure their third successive victory, according to Red Devils head coach Ian Watson.

Salford backed up wins against Widnes and Castleford by beating St Helens 22-14 at the AJ Bell Stadium on Thursday.

“One thing summed it up for us and that was Flash’s [Mark Flanagan] chase back,” he said.

“Having the right attitude and never giving up is what we’re about and Flash typified that for us all the way through.”

Watson explained being smart in every aspect of the game was also key to coming out on top against Saints.

“Attitude and effort will get us so far, but we’ve got to be smart with the way we control and play games and it’s something we spoke about all week,” he added.

“We knew Saints were going to come here full of confidence just like we were, so it was going to be a good test to see what we could throw at them.”

Salford moved joint top of the table after the victory and Watson insisted it is good that opponents will now be wary of the threat the Red Devils pose.

“That’s good for us because that’s where we want to be as a top team, but we won’t get carried away with it,” he said.

“We just need to get our head down, keep working hard and keep doing the things that we are doing to make sure we’re successful.”