All they needed was a coach

Salford City Red's coach, Karl Harrison, has paid tribute to his former boss, Brian Noble, for turning around the fortunes of sleeping giants Wigan. The Warriors beat Harrison's men 20-12 at the JJB Stadium on Friday night to make it five wins in a row and continue their remarkable climb away from the bottom of the English Super League table.

Six points adrift just five weeks ago, Wigan have moved out of the relegation zone for the first time for four months and lie just a point behind seventh-placed Harle-quins following Quins' 30-24 defeat at St Helens on Friday.

Noble is refusing to discuss the prospects of a top-six finish but Wigan finally look to have banished the very real threat of relegation and, according to Harrison, it is all down to the Great Britain coach. "You can see the changes Brian Noble has put in place," said Harrison. "They are playing a bit stronger, defending a little bit tougher and deserved the win. We're not an easy team to break down but they found the right plays at the right time to finish us off."

Salford, who lost their captain, Malcolm Alker, with an ankle injury, trailed 10-0 after conceding early tries to Brett Dallas and Bryan Fletcher but hit back through Ryan Clayton and Aaron Moule to level the scores by the hour mark. A penalty from Wigan scrum-half Michael Dobson edged the home side back in front before stand-off Danny Orr settled matters with the all-important try.