SALFORD RED DEVILS coach Paul Rowley was proud of every single player that took to the field in their defeat at Wigan Warriors.
Rowley has had his hands tied in team selection and could only put together a squad of 17 with the help of several youngsters and loanees.
“There was loads of character,” said Rowley. “There are some young lads there who have come in and it’s not only a level they are not used to, they are not ready for that yet.
“They were fantastic. I think the best thing about it for me was when you get to sit down at the side of an experienced player who is going to turn your nerves into excitement. I think we had plenty of that in our dressing room today.
“We don’t like losing and we won’t accept mediocrity but we will judge this on its merit and on the standards that we want to uphold and set. I can’t have any complaints on effort.
“We just want to play rugby. I think the hard bit is it is like setting off on a sprint and we don’t know where the finish line is. It’s getting a bit like are we nearly there yet?
“My understanding of everything has always been, or my emotional reaction to it all is, that I have been looking at the middle of April in terms of the purchase of the stadium. Logic tells me that you might need a few quid to purchase the stadium.
“This is purely me and not fact. It’s my simple way of putting some rationale behind it. It is to fasten my seatbelt, hold on, (take a) deep breath and (expect) a couple of bumpy months coming up. That is just my rationale and I explained that to the players.”
Wigan coach Matt Peet expressed his sympathy for Salford and what everyone at the club is going through.
“The players did him proud today, which he will know,” said Peet.
“When you are a coach, you are always at the mercy of the organisation aren’t you? All you can do is do your own job the best you can.
“The coaches try to coach the best they can in whatever predicament they are put into. Unfortunately, they are in a tough predicament at the moment and we hope they come out of the other side.
“All they can do is focus on their own jobs. I thought they stood up well and competed for large parts. They troubled us with the ball and they were probably unlucky not come away with at least one score.”
