Salford travelled to Widnes, knowing that the six point deduction has cost them dear this year and that there is still a doubt who will be in charge next season, as Marwan Koukash has yet to come out and say one way or the other.
This week, Koukash agreed to meet the fans for a question and answer session , although as of yet no date has been fixed. Meanwhile, Salford snatched a thrilling Super League victory over Widnes with winger Mason Caton-Brown bagging a hat-trick of tries, as the Red Devils halted a run of four defeats in five games.
Greg Burke made his home debut for Widnes, with former Wigan team mate Connor Farrell returning on the bench after four months out with a knee problem. Hep Cahill made his 100th Widnes appearance, while Salford were boosted by the return of Carney after a two-match suspension.
The Vikings' place in the Super 8s was already secured courtesy of Hull's victory over Hull KR on Thursday, but they knew victory would take them above Castleford into sixth.
Salford had already beaten Widnes twice in Super League this season and could not have made a better start, with Caton-Brown finishing off a 35-metre move in their first attack after only two minutes. Rob Lui and Junior Sa'u combined to send Caton-Brown haring over for only his second try of an injury-hit season, with Gareth O'Brien booting the touchline conversion.
Salford survived four sets of six, but the pressure told after 16 minutes, with Whitley sweeping on to a gem of a pass from Lloyd White, who added the goal to level the scores. Rhys Hanbury spilled a Michael Dobson kick near his own line, but Salford regained the lead after a touchline burst from Caton-Brown, who flew past Ah Van.
Slick handling put Carney over in the corner, despite Widnes claims of a forward pass and a desperate last-ditch tackle attempt by Joe Mellor. O'Brien landed his second touchline conversion to make it 12-6.
Ah Van took Charly Runciman's inside pass to blast over five minutes before the break, with Thompson's conversion levelling the scores. Kevin Brown's 40-20 put Widnes immediately back on the offensive, but Cahill was held up over the line and Salford held out to still be on terms 12-12 at half-time.
Ah Van saved a try early in the second half with a thundering hit on Caton-Brown, but the latter put Salford back in front after 53 minutes with his second try after an 80-metre move started by Lui and continued by Sa'u. But then Salford lost Carney with a leg injury before Brown went off for Widnes in a daze. Despite losing their talisman, Widnes levelled with Whitley's second try from Mellor's pass.
Salford edged back in front, with Dobson putting Jones over after 68 minutes but O'Brien was off-target for the first time. Craig Kopczak and Jack Buchanan were sin-binned for fighting before the late flurry of points. O'Brien kicked two penalties before Thompson crossed and then Caton-Brown completed his treble. Final score: Widnes Vikings 24 Salford Red Devils 32.
After the game I caught up with a very happy Barry Jones from Bolton, who said: "No matter what is going on at the club, the boys showed their metal tonight and when the going got tough they really did get going...Salford tonight showed how good we are, and when you look at the table those six points have cost us dear, for something that happened two years ago.
"So whoever wins now, this season's Super League is tarnished by the RFL" he added "The game is better than this, and the RFL should hold it's head in shame the way they have treated Salford. But no matters what happens, I and little Stefan will be keeping the faith..."
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