Castleford Tigers fend off the threat of a late charge by Salford Reds

Castleford Tigers recorded a victory that eases the pressure on their under-fire coach Terry Matterson, with a try by promising young player Jordan Thompson clinching an often dour contest with Salford City Reds. The Tigers' last two home games had ended with supporter protests amid a run of four straight defeats, and though Matterson's side rarely sparkled, there was sufficient commitment to suggest they can continue to improve in the coming weeks. Castleford's lowest crowd of the season witnessed a frustrating clash in which both sides struggled for any kind of fluency, and the immaculate goal-kicking of the Tigers loose-forward Joe Westerman was integral in keeping his side in front from the sixth minute to the last. "We got the result and that was the important thing," Matterson said. "We still have to do better, but I was really pleased with how the players bounced back and the way they went about it. They were very hungry today and have to come back like that every week." His counterpart Shaun McRae refused to use his squad's exhaustive trip to Catalans by coach last week as an excuse for the defeat. "We turned over too much football and put ourselves under enormous pressure defensively," McRae said. "We didn't have enough field position or possession. We just couldn't get the ball off them, and we probably built more pressure on ourselves than the opposition did." The Tigers led 10-6 after a dismal first half that was littered with handling errors and penalties. Ryan McGoldrick's early try and three Westerman goals had put the home side in command, before a rare highlight saw Daniel Holdsworth's kick allow Ashley Gibson to respond for Salford just before the break. The standard improved after the restart with Ryan Hudson sending Mitchell Sargent over for Castleford, before the best move of the match ended with Salford's Gibson kicking superbly for Mark Henry to touch down. That briefly closed the gap to four points and hinted at a late Reds charge, but instead they conceded immediately as Rangi Chase's kick was touched down by Thompson to seal matters. Stuart Jones added a fourth Castleford try in the closing stages, with Westerman completing a perfect seven kicks. Castleford Tigers: Thompson; Dixon, Evans, McGoldrick, Wainwright; Chase, Sherwin; Sargent, Hudson, Jackson, Huby, Jones, Westerman. Interchange: Higgins, Clayton, Snitch, Tuson Tries: McGoldrick, Sargent, Thompson, Jones. Goals: Westerman 7 Salford City Reds: Fitzpatrick; Tyrer, Henry, Talau, Gibson; Ratchford, Holdsworth; Cashmere, Alker, Boyle, Sidlow, Adamson, Swain. Interchange: Littler, Jewitt, Leuluai, M Smith Tries: Gibson, Henry Goals: Holdsworth 2 Referee: B Thaler (Wakefield). Attendance: 5,025.