Salford rue missed chances

It will be scant consolation to Salford as they ply their trade at Batley and Whitehaven next year, but if they had played like this all season the question of relegation from Super League would never have arisen.

Two late Castleford tries, combined with Wakefield's comfortable win over Warrington, sent Salford down, but at full time at The Willows there was the unusual spectacle of both sides being applauded from the field by their fans – Cas for clinching the last place in the play-offs and Salford for making their exit with their heads held high.

This was a game the Reds had the chance to win. Trailing to an early Wayne Bartrim penalty, they led through a well-worked try from David Highton and then had gilt- edged opportunities to score on either side of half-time. .

"They were difficult passes to take, but two clear cut chances and if we had taken them it might have been different," said the Salford chairman, John Wilkinson, who conducted the post mortem in the absence of his coach, Karl Harrison, who was too upset.

After Salford's first missed chance, Castleford regained the lead with a dubious try from Danny Orr's pass to the former Salford player, Darren Rogers. "I think everyone saw that it was forward,'' said Wilkinson. "I spoke with Darren and he was gutted he had to put it down over the whitewash, because he still has a lot of feeling for this club.''

Two goals from Steve Blakeley edged Salford back in front at the start of the second half, but steady pressure from Castleford was rewarded when Bartrim went over from dummy half.

Salford's last real chance disappeared when Ian Watson was tackled into touch from a tap penalty and, as time ran out, Blakeley's chip from inside his own 20 was picked up by Jon Wells for Ryan Hudson to go over and Bartrim to add his fourth goal.

Castleford now go to Wigan and a sudden death play-off on Saturday night, but their coach, Graham Steadman, spared a thought for Harrison, his old Great Britain team-mate: "I feel for Karl,'' he said. "I've got mixed feelings at the moment.''

Salford: Gibson; Reardon, Nicol, Maloney, Arnold; Blakeley, Watson; Baynes, Alker, P Highton, Wainwright, Treacy, D Highton. Substitutes used: Ebrill, Coley.

Castleford: Rogers; Wells, Johnson, Eagar, Pryce; Orr, Healey; Sykes, Bartrim, Lynch, Fritz, Smith, Hudson. Substitutes used: Lennon, Mather, Harland, Warren.

Referee: R Connolly (Wigan).

St Helens hang on to take top slot

St Helens clinched top spot in the Super League after withstanding a London Broncos fightback to win 18-16 at Griffin Park.

The Broncos came agonisingly close tovictory, but their season came to an end when Tony Martin failed by inches to touch down Jim Dymock's last-minute kick. Castleford's win at Salford confirmed London's fate.

Huddersfield moved within a game of a return to Super League with a 36-10 win over Leigh in their Northern Ford Premiership Grand Final play-off. They will play the winners of the minor semi-final between Batley and Oldham.