Salford City Reds

Salford City Reds

Club information
Full name	Salford City Reds Rugby League Club
Nickname(s)	The Original Red Devils / Les Diables Rouges
Short name	Salford
Colours
Founded	1873 (as Cavendish FC)
Current details
Ground(s)	From 2012 City of Salford Stadium, (12,000)
	1901–2011 The Willows (11,363)
	1878–1901 New Barnes
CEO(s)	David Tarry
Coach(s)	Vacant
Captain(s)	Daniel Holdsworth
Competition	Super League
Super League XVI	9th Super League XVI
Current season
Records
Premierships	6 (1913–14, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1938–39, 1973–74, 1975–76)
Challenge Cups	1 (1937–38)
Lancashire Cup	5 (1931–32, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1972–72)
Lancashire League	5 (1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1936–37, 1938–39)
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy	1 (1974–75)
Second Division	4 (1990–91, 1995–96, 2003, 2008)
Arriva Trains Cup	2 (2003, 2008)
Most capped	496 - Maurice Richards
Most points	2,907 - David Watkins

Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup. Their home ground from 1901–2011 was The Willows in Weaste; from 2012 it is the City of Salford Stadium in Barton-upon-Irwell.

Salford's nickname, The Red Devils, comes from a 1934 tour to France where the press described them as playing like devils, dubbing them Les Diables Rouges.

History

Early years

The club was founded in 1873 by the boys of the Cavendish Street Chapel in Hulme, Manchester. Using a local field, the boys organised matches amongst themselves before moving to nearby Moss Side.

In an attempt to recruit new members, the link with the school was broken in 1875 and the name Cavendish Football Club was adopted. They moved to a new base on the Salford side of the River Irwell at Throstle Nest Weir in Ordsall. Two seasons later, they moved again to the west side of Trafford Road to a ground known as the Mile Field where they spent the 1877/78 season. Their next home was a field north of the former Manchester Racecourse, New Barnes. Their first season there, 1878/79, was the last to be played under the Cavendish name.

Cavendish became Salford Football Club in 1879. The first match as Salford was at Dewsbury on 4 October 1879. The following week heralded the first home match at New Barnes against Widnes, on 11 October 1879. The result was a draw with one try each.

Salford struggled to attract support as there were few local players in the team. In 1881, they almost disbanded but instead merged with the Crescent Football Club. This placed Salford firmly on the rugby map, it was an exciting period and, during the remaining 15 years as members of the Rugby Football Union, seventeen Salford players were selected for Lancashire, three by the North of England and two, Harry Eagles and Tom Kent, for England. Since the 1881 merger, only 62 matches were lost from 263 played in the remaining nine years of the decade.

In 1889, Salford moved their headquarters to the nearby London and North Western Hotel on Cross Lane. Salford switched from their traditional amber, black and scarlet hoops to red jerseys. The club became the first side to win the Lancashire League in 1892/93.

In 1895, the leading Lancashire and Yorkshire clubs formed the breakaway Northern Union (later known as the Rugby Football League), Salford initially remained loyal to the Rugby Football Union but in April 1896 Salford held a special meeting to discuss joining the new organisation. Only three members opposed the motion.

Salford were admitted to the Northern Union on 2 June 1896. Their first competitive Northern Union match was on Saturday, 5 September 1896, with a visit to Widnes. The Reds, competing in the Lancashire Senior Competition, lost 10–0, and only three matches were won in the League that season. Their form improved and they finished third place in 1898/99. In 1900, Salford met old local rivals, Swinton, in the Rugby League Challenge Cup final at Fallowfield, Manchester. After a keenly fought contest, the result was a 16–8 win for Swinton.

20th century

In 1900, Salford received notice to vacate New Barnes as the Manchester Ship Canal Company had purchased the land. Salford's agreed a 14-year lease on 5 acres (20,000 m²) of land belonging to the Willows Estate Company, named after the abundance of willow trees in the area. Salford made their début at The Willows on 21 December 1901, beating Swinton 2–0, the official attendance reaching 16,981. James Lomas became rugby league's first £100 transfer, from Bramley to Salford in 1901.^[1]

The club continued making progress in the Rugby League Challenge Cup, reaching the semi-final stages in 1902, 1903, 1906, 1907 and 1910. On three occasions, they succeeded in reaching the final, but lost 0–25 to Broughton Rangers in 1902, 0–7 to Halifax in 1903 and 0–5 to Bradford in 1906. The Championship also proved elusive, the Reds finishing runners-up for three consecutive seasons from 1901/02. In the last of those, Salford and Bradford finished level on points with Salford having the superior scoring record. Despite that, the Reds had to take part in a deciding match at Halifax, which they lost 5–0.

The Kiwis, then known as the All Golds, visited in 1907, and Salford played them on 28 December, losing 9–2 in front of a reported 9,000 spectators. Lance Todd, who was to have such an influence at The Willows 20 years later, was in the New Zealanders' side. A year later, the Australians stopped off at The Willows on 17 October. The result was a 9–9 draw.

Salford won the Rugby Football League Championship in 1913/14. The club had financial problems and was in the hands of the official receiver but somehow in the Championship final, beat Huddersfield's "Team of All Talents" 5–3.

In August 1914, the Salford Football Club Company was finally wound up and a new company, Salford Football Club (1914) Limited was formed. During the First World War, Salford continued to function, but it was a struggle. Thirty-two Salford players volunteered for the war, of which seven were killed.

The 1920s was an era of survival, on and off the field, the team opening the decade with their worst ever league placing, finishing last in 1920/21. There was a dramatic change of fortune during the summer of 1928 when Lance Todd became team manager. In his first season in charge (1928/29), "Toddy's Toddlers" went from 26th to fourth place in the table with virtually the same set of players.

Gus Risman was talent-spotted by Lance Todd, when he was 17 years old. He made his début for Salford on 31 August 1929. Other legendary names included Alan Edwards, John "Jack" Feetham, Barney Hudson, Emlyn Jenkins, Billy Watkins and Billy Williams.

Salford were considered the leading club in the game during the 1930s, winning three League Championships, five Lancashire League Championships, four Lancashire Cups and the Rugby League Challenge Cup.

Salford were invited to tour France in 1934 to promote rugby league in the country. Before going to France, Salford were regarded as a top side by the French and – after their 6–0 whitewash of the tour sides – were given their unofficial nickname; Les Diables Rouges – The Red Devils by French journalists.

Salford's highest attendance was set on 13 February 1937 when 26,470 turned up to watch Salford versus Warrington in the first round of the Rugby League Challenge Cup.

Salford beat Barrow 7–4 in the final of the 1938 Challenge Cup at Wembley. A famous photograph was taken of Gus Risman and the cup being carried shoulder high round the stadium by his team-mates, and he the only one without a cigarette in his hand.

On 3 September 1939, the Second World War began and the 1939/40 season was abandoned. A wartime Emergency League was organised but, at the beginning of January 1941, Salford decided to cease play, due to poor gates. In November 1942, Lance Todd was killed in a car crash.

Post war

In 1946, Salford appeared to be on their way to a third consecutive peacetime final, but Salford lost, unexpectedly, at home to Hunslet (15–8) at the quarter final stage. In the second post-war season, 1946/47, Salford slid to twenty-second, a dramatic climb followed and the team finished seventh in 1948/49, and fifth in 1949/50. But it was a false dawn and the team fell into mid-table obscurity during the 1950s.

When Gus Risman quit as a player in 1954, he coached Salford for four years, before moving on to Oldham.

Saturday 26 November 1955 saw television cameras at The Willows for the first time when the second half of the match against New Zealand was broadcast live on BBC Grandstand. Salford hosted their first floodlit game, using Manchester United's ground on Wednesday 5 November 1958 against Leeds. Leeds won 22–17.

On Saturday 1 September 1962, Salford suffered what was then their largest margin of defeat, when they lost 59–0 at St Helens.

Brian Snape succeeded Jim Hammond as chairman in September 1963. Snape appointed Griff Jenkins as secretary-coach in 1964, and the Reds immediately started to climb the league ladder. In June 1967 The Willows switched on its floodlights for the first time in the match with Widnes on Friday 11 March 1966. From that evening, Friday night was rugby league night as the fans flocked to The Willows.

In October 1967 David Watkins joined Salford for £15,000, a then club record. Watkins scored in 92 consecutive matches for Salford from 19 August 1972 to 25 April 1974. He totalled 929 points from 41 tries and 403 goals.

In 1967, the Rugby Football League gave permission for games to be played on Sunday for the first time. The Willows staged its first Sunday fixture, a friendly with French club, Cavaillon, on 5 May 1968. It was not until the following season that the Reds were at home in their first competitive Sunday match, a second round Challenge Cup-tie against Workington Town on 23 February 1969, Salford winning 12–5, destined for their third Wembley final which they lost 11–6 to Castleford.

Salford lost the uniqueness of their red devil nickname when local soccer team Manchester United decided to replace their "Busby's Babes" nickname following the Munich crash. Matt Busby liked the sound of "Red Devils", thinking a devil was more intimidating to opponents than angelic babes and Manchester United copied "The Red Devils" nickname.

In October 1972, Salford reached the final of the Lancashire Cup for the first time since 1938, beating Swinton 25–11 at Warrington to win their first trophy in thirty-three years. Salford reached the next three Lancashire Cup finals, but failed to recapture the cup in any of them. They were also runners-up to Leeds in the 1972–73 Players No.6 Trophy. In 1973/74 and 1975/76 the club claimed two Championships and won the 1974/75 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy. Salford's last major final of the 1970s was the 1976 Premiership Trophy decider played at Station Road, Swinton. Salford conceded three tries in the last 12 minutes to lose 15–2. As the 1970s drew to a close, many star players had retired or were approaching the veteran stage, with no funds available to replace them.

In the 1976–77 season, the Salford versus Leeds match was abandoned just after half-time, after Chris Sanderson of Leeds suffered a fatal injury, after 38 minutes. Leeds were ahead 5–2, but the game was declared null and void and not replayed.

On 3 January 1982, John Wilkinson took over as chairman. Wilkinson inherited a club living above its income, forcing him to make cost saving measures. While the books were being balanced, steady progress was made on it, the Reds pulling off a major coup with the signing of Australian full-back Garry Jack in 1988. The Lancashire Cup final was reached in 1988, the Reds losing narrowly to favourites Wigan.

1990 turned out to be his golden year under coach Kevin Tamati. Salford won the Second Division Championship, losing just one game all season. In the Premiership final in front of 50,000 at Old Trafford, the Red Devils beat Halifax 27–20. They also made the final of the Lancashire Cup, losing narrowly to favourites Widnes.

During the 1990s, the team rewarded Wilkinson with five trophies; Division Two Championship (1990/91), Division Two Premiership (1991), Division One (formerly Division Two) Championship (1995/96 and 1996) and Divisional Premiership 1996.

Summer era

In 1996, the first tier of British rugby league clubs played the inaugural Super League season and changed from a winter to a summer season.^[2] Andy Gregory had finished his playing days as player-coach at Salford in 1995. Salford finished with 21 points; six-points clear of Hull and seemingly safe from a drop into the lower leagues.^[3] However, the Rupert Murdoch-funded Super League competition proposed, as part of the deal, that some traditional clubs would merge. Salford were to merge with Oldham to form a Manchester club that would compete in Super League. This was resisted but Salford were not included in the new competition. Salford added Reds to their name for the 1995/96 season which was expanded to Salford City Reds in 1999. It would be just 12 months before Salford reclaimed their place in Super League by edging out Keighley to win the First Division.^[3]

Gregory left Salford by mutual consent in May 1999 to concentrate on his pub business in Wigan. Steve McCormack became the youngest Super League coach at the age of just 28 in 2001 but was sacked just 10 months later, for his outrageous attacks on the stadium's grass cutters. He was replaced by Karl Harrison, who had been Assistant Coach to Brian Noble at Bradford.

Salford City Reds struggled in the 2002 season and Harrison was unable to keep the club in the Super League, despite a good end to the season. Indeed, they went into the final match of the season second from bottom (only the bottom club were relegated that season). However, a home defeat to Castleford, coupled with a home win for Wakefield Trinity over Warrington, resulted in relegation for the Reds.

The 2003 season was spent in the National League 1, where the Reds – remaining as a full-time club (most other NL1 teams were part-time or amateur clubs) – performed very well, losing only 2 games all season. On their way to finishing top of the National League 1 table, Salford also won the Arriva Trains Cup beating Leigh in the final. Having finished on top of the NL1 table, Salford entered the NL1 play-offs, needing to win their match to qualify for the final. They beat Leigh in a bad-tempered match, to qualify for the NL1 Grand Final. Leigh were forced into a knock-out semi-final to try to get through to the Grand Final – a play-off match they ultimately won.

Salford City Reds then comfortably beat Leigh in the Grand Final, to gain promotion to Super League after one season out. It was the sixth time out of seven meetings between the two that Salford had beaten Leigh that season (the first match ended in a draw). Leigh would follow Salford into Super League the following season. 2004 was a consolidatory season for the Reds, notably mostly for an impressive home win over St Helens and coming from 12 points behind Castleford in a game three times in the season to win all three games, the third of which – at Castleford's "The Jungle" ground confirmed Salford's survival in the Super League and practically relegated "Cas" in the process. In the end the Reds finished 9th.

The 2005 season saw Salford Reds sign Luke Robinson and David Hodgson from Wigan, both of whom performed excellently well for the Reds all season. Although Salford were unable to improve on the 9th place finish of the previous season, they were regarded as one of the most improved teams in Super League, and finished 6-points higher than they had the season before. However, relegation was again a real threat, as – to accommodate Catalans Dragons from France into Super League in 2006 – two clubs were relegated in 2005 instead of just one. Leigh comfortably finished bottom of the table, losing 14 games in a row. Widnes were also relegated, 6-points behind the Reds.

Salford's move to the proposed new City of Salford Stadium in Barton was reviewed by Salford City Council's planning committee on 17 November 2005. While the plans were approved, they were also referred to the Department of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and, in January 2006, it was announced that the Department had ordered a full review, further delaying the start of building. In late November 2006, it was confirmed that the government department now in charge of overseeing the full review, the Office of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Ruth Kelly, had approved the plans for the stadium. Kelly herself, as Member of Parliament for the nearby Bolton West constituency, could not take the decision personally due to what could be viewed as a conflict of interest.

The 2006 Season started with wins at Warrington, and against Catalans Dragons at the Willows. Further wins over Wigan and Wakefield Trinity meant that Salford had won 4 of their opening 5 games (losing to Bradford in round 3). Salford in SLXI lost eight games by fewer than 6 points, including 1 point defeats to Leeds, Hull and Harlequins RL and 2 point defeats to Leeds and St Helens. However, Salford's victory over Castleford on 10 September 2006, ensured that they would play in the Super League play-offs for the first time in their history in a season they had started as favourites for relegation according to most pundits. In their first ever Super League play-off match, Salford City Reds were routed 52–6 at Odsal Stadium against Bradford on Saturday 23 September 2006.^[4]

Karl Harrison was sacked as first team coach on 22 May 2007 [1] following a disastrous run of form that saw the Reds win just three games and draw another in the opening 16 rounds of the 2007 Season, and left them languishing at the bottom of the League Table with a meagre 7 points. Team Director of Football, Steve Simms took over in a caretaker role for two games, winning the first against an in-form Huddersfield Giants and only losing by a single point against then World Champions, St Helens.

On 11 June 2007 long-term favourite to take the role, Shaun McRae was announced as the new Head Coach.^[5] On 15 June 2007, Salford beat Harlequins 5–2 in the first (and, to date, only) Super League game not to contain a try. On 2 September 2007, Salford were relegated from Super League when Hull KR beat Hull 42–6.

Salford City Reds were awarded a three year Super League license in July 2008 as the game moved away from automatic promotion and relegation.^[6]

2012 Squad

2012 Salford City Reds Squad
First team squad								Coaching staff
1 Luke Patten - FB 2 Jodie Broughton - WG 3 Ashley Gibson - CE 4 Chris Nero - CE, SR 5 Danny Williams - WG 6 Joel Moon - SO, CE 7 Daniel Holdsworth (c) - HB, SO 8 Iafeta Paleaaesina - PR 9 Wayne Godwin - HK 10 Lee Jewitt - PR 11 Shannan McPherson - SR 12 Vinnie Anderson - SR 13 Stephen Wild (vc) - LF		14 Ben Gledhill - PR 15 Luke Adamson - SR 16 Matty Smith - HB 17 Jordan James - PR 18 Luke Adamson - SR 19 Matty Ashurst - SR 20 Sean Gleeson - CE 21 Ryan Boyle - PR 22 Toby Adamson - SR 23 Adam Neal - SR 24 Marc Sneyd - SH 25 Adam Sidlow - PR 26 Jack Spencer - LK		27 Adam Clay - WG 28 Gareth Owen - HK 29 Alex Davidson - PR 30 Callum Marriott - SR 31 Theo Fages - SH				Head coach Vacant Assistant coaches Phil Veivers Sean Long Legend: (c) Captain (vc) Vice captain

2012 Transfers

Ins

Nat	Name	Signed From	Contract Length	Date
	Joel Moon	New Zealand Warriors	2 Years	September 2011
	Shannan McPherson	South Sydney Rabbitohs	3 Years	September 2011
	Ben Gledhill	Wakefield Wildcats	2 Years	September 2011
	Jordan James	Crusaders RL	2 Years	September 2011
	Matty Ashurst	St Helens	3 Years	October 2011

Outs

Nat	Name	Sold To	Contract Length	Date
	Mark Henry			July 2011
	Stefan Ratchford	Warrington Wolves	2 Years	August 2011
	Rob Parker	Castleford Tigers	Loan Deal	August 2011

Coaches

• Les Bettinson (Dec 73 – Mar 77)
• Colin Dixon (Mar 77 – Jan 78)
• Stan McCormick? (Feb 78 – Mar 78)
• Alex Murphy (May 78 – Nov 80)
• Kevin Ashcroft (Nov 80 – Mar 82)
• Alan McInnes (Mar 82 – May 82)
• Malcolm Aspey (May 82 – Oct 83)
• Mike Coulman (Oct 83 – May 84)
• Kevin Ashcroft (May 84 – Oct 89)
• Kevin Tamati (Oct 89 – July 93)
• Garry Jack (July 93 – Mar 95)
• Andy Gregory (Mar 95 – May 99)
• John Harvey (Jun 99 – Jul 2001)
• Steve McCormack (July 2001 – May 2002)
• Karl Harrison (Jun 2002 -May 2007)
• Shaun McRae (Jun 2007 – Apr 2011)
• Matt Parish (Jul 2011 – Nov 2011)

Stadium

Salford City Reds currently play their home games at The Willows. It is a small mainly terraced stadium with one main stand. The capacity is 11,363 with 2,500 seats. The Willows is also a local entertainment complex and has several function rooms, which are used to hold meetings, wedding receptions and other parties. Small concerts are regularly held in the function building.

The Reds are set to move into the new City of Salford Stadium in Barton-upon-Irwell in 2012.

Honours

• Championship (6): 1913–14, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1938–39, 1973–74, 1975–76
• Rugby League Challenge Cup: 1937–38
• Second Division (including National League One): 1990–91, 1995–96, 2003, 2008 (4 times)
• Divisional Premiership: 1990–91
• Lancashire Cup: 1931–32, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1972–72 (5 times)
• Lancashire League: 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1936–37, 1938–39 (5 times)
• BBC2 Floodlit Trophy: 1974–75
• Arriva Trains Cup: 2003, 2008

Players earning international caps while at Salford

Robert Ackerman won caps for Wales while at Carlisle, Salford, and Cardiff? 1991…1993 5-caps 1(2?)-try 4(8?)-points Malcolm Alker won caps for England while at Salford in 2005 France, New Zealand Peter Banner won caps for Wales while at Salford in the 1975 Rugby League World Cup against France, England, and New Zealand, and while at Featherstone Rovers in the 1975 Rugby League World Cup against England, Australia, New Zealand, and France (World Cup in 1975 7-caps, 2-tries) Steve Blakeley won caps for England while at Salford in 1996 France, Wales (sub), in 1999 France (sub) Arthur Buckler won a cap for Wales while at Salford in 1908 against England H. Buckler (#12) won caps for Other Nations while at Salford in 1904 England William "Bill" Burgess won caps for England while at Barrow in 1962 France, in 1969 Wales, France, and won caps for Great Britain while at Barrow in 1962 France, in 1963 Australia, in 1965 New Zealand (2 matches), in 1966 France, Australia (3 matches), New Zealand (2 matches), in 1967 France, Australia, in 1968 France, while at Salford in 1969 France Aubrey Casewell won a cap for Wales while at Salford in 1932 Chris Charles won caps for England while at Salford in 2005 France Paul Charlton won caps for England while at Salford in 1975 France, and won caps for Great Britain while at Workington in 1965 New Zealand, while at Salford in 1970 New Zealand (sub), in 1972 France (2 matches), Australia (2 matches), France, New Zealand, in 1973 Australia (3 matches), in 1974 France (2 matches), Australia (3 matches), New Zealand (3 matches) (World Cup in 1970 1-cap, in 1972 4-caps, 1-try) John Cheshire won a cap for Wales while at Salford in 1959 Andy Coley won caps for England while at Salford in 2004 Russia, France, Ireland, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 2007 France Mike Coulman won caps for England while at Salford in 1975 France, Wales, Wales, Australia, Papua New Guinea, in 1977 France, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1971 France (sub), New Zealand (2 matches) Jason Critchley won caps for England while at Salford in 1992 Wales (sub) George Curran won caps for England while at Salford in 1946 Wales (2 matches), France, in 1947 Wales (2 matches), France, in 1948 France (2 matches), Wales, in 1949 Wales, France (2 matches), and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1946 Australia, New Zealand, in 1947 New Zealand, in 1948–49 Australia (3 matches) Ephraim Curzon won caps for Great Britain while at Salford circa-1910 Patrick "Paddy" Dalton won caps for England while at Salford in 1934 Australia, France, in 1935 France, Wales, in 1936 Wales Thompson "Tom" Danby won caps for England while at Salford in 1950 Wales (2 matches), France, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1950 Australia (2 matches), New Zealand Dai Davies won caps for Wales while at Salford 1939…1948 9-caps John "Jack" Davies won caps for Wales while at Salford 1949 2-caps Hubert Day won caps for Wales (RU) while at Newport RFC 1930…1931 5-caps, and won caps for Wales (RL) while at Salford 1935…1945 3-caps Colin Dixon won caps for Wales while at Halifax, Salford, and Hull Kingston Rovers 1963…1981 (11?)16-caps (World Cup in 1975 4-caps), and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford (World Cup in 1972 1-cap) Alan Edwards won caps for Wales while at Salford, and Bradford Northern 1935…1948 18-caps, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1936 against Australia (3 matches), and New Zealand (2 matches), and in 1937 against Australia (2 matches) Emrys Evans won caps for Wales (RU) while at Llanelli RFC in 1937 against England, and in 1939 against Scotland, and Ireland, and won a cap for Wales (RL) while at Salford in 1945 Richard "Dick" Evans won caps for Wales while at Swinton in the 1975 Rugby League World Cup against France (2 matches)

John "Jack" Feetham won caps for England while at Salford in 1932 Wales, and won caps for Great Britain while at Hull K.R. in 1929–30 Australia, while at Salford in 1932 Australia (2 matches), New Zealand (2 matches), in 1933 Australia (3 matches) ?. Fielding won a cap(s) for Other Nations while at Salford Keith Fielding won caps for England while at Salford in 1975 France, France (2 matches), Wales (2 matches), Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1974 France (2 matches), in 1977 France Phil Ford won caps for Wales while at Warrington, Leeds, and Salford 1984 to 1995 1984(1991?)…1995 9(10?)-caps + 1-cap (sub) 4-tries 16-points Damian Gibson won caps for Wales while at Halifax, Salford, and Castleford (1996?)1999…present 16(15, 18?)-caps + 2-caps (sub) 8-tries 32-points Kenneth "Ken" Gill won caps for England while at Salford in 1975 Wales, France (2 matches), Wales (sub), Wales, New Zealand (2 matches), Australia, Australia (sub), Australia, in 1977 Wales, France, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1974 France (2 matches), Australia (2 matches), New Zealand, in 1977 France (sub), Australia (sub) John "Jack" Gore won caps for Wales while at Salford 1926…1928 3-caps, and won a cap for Great Britain while at Salford in 1927 against New Zealand Adrian Hadley won caps for Wales while at Salford, and Widnes 1991…1995 5(9?)-caps + 6-caps (sub) 1-try 4-points Edward "Teddy" Haines won caps for England while at Salford in 1927 Wales Eynon Hawkins won caps for Wales while at Salford, and Rochdale Hornets 1949…1953 6-caps Christopher "Chris" Hesketh won caps for England while at Salford in 1968 Wales, in 1969 Wales, France, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1970 New Zealand, New Zealand, Australia (sub), in 1971 France, France (sub), New Zealand (3 matches), in 1972 Australia (2 matches), France, New Zealand, in 1973 Australia (3 matches), in 1974 France (2 matches), Australia (3 matches), New Zealand (3 matches) (World Cup in 1970 2-caps 1-try, in 1972 3-caps, 1-try) Paul Highton won caps for Wales while at Salford 1999…present 5(8, 9?)-caps + 4-caps (sub) Ron Hill won caps for Wales while at Salford 1969…1970 2-caps David Hodgson won caps for England while at Salford in 2005 New Zealand, in 2006 Tonga (2 matches), Samoa, and won caps for Great Britain while at Wigan in 2001 France, Australia (sub), while at Salford in 2007 France, New Zealand Barney Hudson won caps for England while at Salford in 1934 Australia, in 1935 France, Wales, in 1936 Wales, France, in 1938 Wales, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1932 New Zealand, in 1933 Australia (2 matches), in 1936 Australia, New Zealand (2 matches), in 1937 Australia (2 matches) Emlyn Jenkins won caps for Wales while at Salford 1932…1936 4-caps, won caps for England while at Salford in 1934 against Australia, and France, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1933 against Australia, in 1936 against Australia (3 matches), and New Zealand (2 matches), and in 1937 against Australia (3 matches) Graeme Johns won caps for Wales while at Salford in 1979 against France (sub), and while at Blackpool Borough in 1984 against England (sub) Graham Jones won a cap for Wales while at Salford in 1959 Reg Jones won a cap for Wales while at Salford in 1946 Thomas "Tom" Kenny won caps for England while at Salford in 1939 Wales Thomas "Tom" Kent won 6-caps for England (RU) while at Salford 1891…1892 James "Jim" Lomas won caps for England while at Salford in 1904 Other Nations, in 1905 Other Nations, in 1906 Other Nations, in 1908 New Zealand, Wales, in 1909 Australia (3 matches), Wales, in 1910 Wales, while at Oldham in 1911 Wales, Australia (2 matches), and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1908–09 Australia (2 matches), in 1910 Australia (2 matches), New Zealand, while at Oldham in 1911–12 Australia (2 matches)

Nathan McAvoy won caps for England while at Salford in 1996 Wales, while at Bradford in 1999 France, France (sub) Thomas "Tom" McKinney for Other Nations 7-caps won caps for British Empire XIII while at Salford in 1952 New Zealand won caps for Rugby League XIII while at Salford in 1954 France, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1951 New Zealand, in 1952 France (non-test), Australia (2 matches), in 1953 France (non-test), in 1954 France (non-test), Australia (3 matches), New Zealand, while at Warrington in 1955 New Zealand (2 matches), France (non-test), New Zealand, in 1956 France (non-test), while at St. Helens in 1957 New Zealand (World Cup in 1957 1-cap) Craig Makin won caps for Wales while at Salford 1999(…2000?) 2-caps Alfred "Alf" Middleton won caps for England while at Salford in 1931 Wales, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1929–30 Australia Chris Morley won caps for Wales while at St. Helens in 1996 against France (sub), and England, while at Salford in 1999 against Ireland, and Scotland, while at Sheffield Eagles in 2000 against South Africa (sub), while at Leigh in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup against Lebanon (sub), New Zealand, Papua New Guinea (sub), and Australia, while at Oldham in 2001 against England, while at Halifax in 2003 against Russia, and Australia, while at Swinton in 2006 against Scotland, 1996…2006 13(14?)-caps + 4-caps (sub) 1(2?)-try 4(8?)-points Steve Nash won caps for England while at Featherstone in 1975 Wales, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, while at Salford in 1978 France, Wales, in 1981 Wales (2 matches), and won caps for Great Britain while at Featherstone in 1971 France, New Zealand, in 1972 France (2 matches), Australia (2 matches), France, New Zealand, in 1973 Australia (2 matches), in 1974 Australia (3 matches), New Zealand (3 matches), while at Salford in 1977 France, New Zealand, Australia (2 matches), in 1978 Australia (3 matches), in 1982 Australia (World Cup in 1972 4-caps, 1-try) Bryn Powell won caps for Wales while at Salford, Featherstone Rovers, and Dewsbury 2004…2006 (5?)6-caps 4(3?)-tries 16(12?)-points Sam Panapa won caps for Western Samoa while at Salford in 1995 ?-caps George Parsons represented Wales XV (RU) while at Abertillery RFC in the 'Victory International' non-Test match(es) between December 1945 and April 1946, won a cap for Wales (RU) while at Newport RFC in 1947 against England, won caps for Wales (RL) while at St. Helens, and Salford, and also represented Great Britain (RL) while at St. Helens between 1952 and 1956 against France (1 non-Test match) Rob Prosser won caps for Wales while at Salford 1968…1970 4-caps Joe Pugsley won caps for Wales (RU) while at Cardiff RFC in 1910 against England, Scotland, and Ireland, and in 1911 against England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, and won a cap for Wales (RL) while at Salford in 1911 Charlie Rees won caps for Wales while at Salford in 1912 Dai Rees won caps for Wales while at Salford in 1908 2-caps Jack Rhapps won caps for Other Nations while at Salford in 1904 England Maurice Richards won caps for Wales while at Salford 1969…1975 3-caps (World Cup in 1975 1-cap), and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1974 against Australia, and New Zealand Gus Risman won caps for Wales while at Salford 1931…1945 18-caps, won a cap for England while at Salford in 1934 against France, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1932 against Australia, New Zealand (3 matches), in 1933 against Australia (3 matches), in 1936 against Australia (2 matches), New Zealand (2 matches), in 1937 against Australia (3 matches), and in 1946 against Australia (3 matches) Luke Robinson won caps for England while at Wigan in 2004 Russia, France, Ireland, while at Salford in 2005 France, New Zealand Steve Rule won a cap for Wales while at Salford in 1981

D. Smith (#1) won caps for Other Nations while at Salford in 1904 England John "Jack" Spencer won caps for England while at Salford in 1908 Wales, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1908 New Zealand Kris Tassell won caps for Wales while at Salford City Reds, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Swinton Lions, and unattached 2000…2004 11(10?)-caps 6-tries 24-points D. Thomas (#2) won caps for Other Nations while at Salford in 1904 England Evan Thomas won caps for Wales while at Salford 1911…1914 2-caps Harold Thomas won caps for Wales (RU) while at Neath RFC in 1936 against England, Scotland, and Ireland, and in 1937 against England, Scotland, and Ireland, represented Wales XV (RU) while at Salford (RL) in the 'Victory International' non-Test match(es) between December 1945 and April 1946, and won caps for Wales (RL) while at Salford 1938…1939 2-caps Willie Thomas won a cap for Wales while at Salford in 1911 Patrick "Pat" Tunney won caps for England while at Salford in 1904 Other Nations John "Johnny" Ward won caps for England while at Castleford in 1969 Wales, France, while at Salford in 1970 France, and won caps for Great Britain while at Castleford in 1963 Australia, in 1964 France (2 matches), while at Salford in 1970 New Zealand Silas Warwick won caps for England while at Salford in 1908 Wales, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1908 New Zealand (2 matches) David Watkins won caps for Wales while at Salford 1968…1979 (14?)16-caps 1-try 31-goals 4-drop-goals 69-points (World Cup in 1975 Captain 8-caps, 25-goals), and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1967+? Australia, France, New Zealand (6-caps) William "Billy" Watkins won caps for Wales while at Salford in 1932…1936 6-caps, and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1933 against Australia, in 1936 against Australia (2 matches), New Zealand (2 matches), and in 1937 against Australia (2 matches) Ian Watson won caps for Wales while at Salford, Swinton, Widnes, Rochdale Hornets, Oldham, and Leigh 1996…present 26 caps 7 tries 1 goal 30 points Richard Webster won caps for Wales while at Salford 1994…(1995?)1996 4-caps (sub) 2-tries 8-points George Whitney won caps for Wales while at Salford 1921 2-caps Peter Williams won caps for Wales while at Salford 1992 2-caps + 1-cap (sub), and won caps for Great Britain while at Salford in 1989 against France (2 matches)] Syd Williams won caps for Wales (RU) while at Aberavon RFC in 1939 against England, Scotland, and Ireland, and won caps for Wales (RL) while at Salford 1940…1952 5-caps William "Billy" Williams won caps for Wales (RU) while at Crumlin in 1927 4-caps, won caps for Wales (RL) while at Salford 1930…33 3-caps, and won caps for Great Britain (RL) in 1930 against Australia, and in 1932 against Australia. Dai Young won caps for Wales while at Salford 1991…(1995?)1996 (13, 12?)15-caps

Other notable players

Jack Anderton 1888 British Isles tourist (RU) William "Billy" Banks Les Bettinson (#4) circa-1965 David Bishop Ian Blease (Testimonial match 1996) Charlie Bott Andrew "Andy" Burgess (Testimonial match 1998) David Cairns (#7)

Colin Dixon [2] (Testimonial match 1979) Hugh Duffy (#F), for Scotland (RU) while at Jed-Forest RFC (RU) 1955 1-cap (signed for Salford 1954–55) Harry Eagles 1888 British Isles tourist (RU) Tex Evans Clive Griffiths Adrian Hadley

Warren Jowitt Mark Lee (Testimonial match 2000) David Major (Testimonial match 1989) Frank Miles David "Dai" Moses [3]

Malcolm Price Maurice Richards (Testimonial match 1980) Ferguson Southward circa-1925 Harold Thomas S. Williams 1888 British Isles tourist (RU)

Records

Player records

• Most tries in a game: 6 by Frank Miles vs Lees,^{[disambiguation needed ]} 5 March 1898
• Most goals in a game 14 by Steve Blakeley vs Gateshead Thunder, 23 March 2003
• Most points in a game 39 by James "Jim" Lomas vs Liverpool City, 2 February 1907
• Most tries in a season: 46 by Keith Fielding, 1973–74
• Most goals in a season: 221 by David Watkins, 1972–73
• Most points in a season: 493 by David Watkins, 1972–73
• Most career goals: 1,241 by David Watkins, 1967–79
• Most career tries: 297 by Maurice Richards, 1969–83
• Most career points: 2,907 by David Watkins, 1967–79
• Most career appearances: 496 (+2 as substitute) by Maurice Richards, 1969–83

Team records

• Highest attendance: 26,470 vs Warrington (Rugby League Challenge Cup), 13 February 1937
• Biggest victory: 100–12 vs Gateshead Thunder, 23 March 2003
• Heaviest defeat: 96–16 vs Bradford Bulls, 25 June 2000

Trivia

• During the period before signing for Salford, Gus Risman was also courted by Association Football clubs. Tottenham Hotspur offered Risman terms. However, in those days football did not have the huge initial gravitas it enjoys today. During the 1920s, signing for a rugby league club was more financially rewarding. Signing-on fees were restricted or capped in football, whereas in Rugby League such fees could be a year's worth of work and playing wages combined. Risman went on to be one of the game's legendary players and was one of the inaugrual inductees into the Rugby League Hall of Fame.
• On 11 March 2006, David Hodgson scored a club Super League record 8 successful goal kicks – despite having never kicked a goal before the start of the 2006 season.
• The Salford chairman, John Wilkinson, is the longest serving chairman in the British game, being at the club since 1982. A 25th Anniversary celebrating John Wilkinsons time at the club was arranged for the Super League game between Salford and Harlequins RL on 15 June 2007.
• Super League XI marked Salford's first appearance in the top six play-offs, in which they lasted just one game – a 52–6 rout at the hands of Bradford Bulls.
• The Reds first Super League game under Shaun McRae, on 15 June 2007 broke two Super League records in one go; at a 5–2 win for the Reds over Harlequins RL it was both the lowest scoring Super League game in history (just seven points in total) and also the first Super League game in which no tries were scored.

References

1. ^ Baker, Andrew (20 August 1995). "100 years of rugby league: From the great divide to the Super era". The Independent (London: independent.co.uk). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/100-years-of-rugby-league-from-the-great-divide-to-the-super-era-1597130.html. Retrieved 25 September 2009. 
2. ^ Dave Hadfield (20 December 1995). "Rugby's pounds 87m deal gives Murdoch transfer veto". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/rugbys-pounds-87m-deal-gives-murdoch-transfer-veto-1526582.html. Retrieved 6 May 2009. 
3. ^ ^{a b} http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/rugby-league/Keighley39s-Super-League-omission-a.991932.jp
4. ^ "Bulls make light work of Salford", Sporting Life, 23 September 2006.
5. ^ "McRae given Head Coach Role". Salford City Reds. 11 June 2007. http://www.reds.co.uk/newsroom/news224_110607.html. Retrieved 11 June 2007. 
6. ^ "Crusaders join Super League". Sky Sports. 22 July 2008. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12196_3851281,00.html. 

• History on the club site

External links

• Salford City Reds Official Site
• Forever Reds (Salford City Reds Supporters Trust)
• The Scarlet Turkey (independent fanzine)
• Scarlet Turkey forum on rlfans.com
• Salford City Reds Heritage site
• Salford get stadium decision date
• Salford Stadium gets Government approval
• Super League website
• Salford City Reds Fans Forums – RugbyLeague.org
• Salford City Reds History