Salford resurgence is foiled as Mackay makes the running

Hull 28 Salford 8

Hull kept pace with the pack chasing Bradford, but for more than an hour of this match the gap between the top and bottom of the Super League was nothing like as obvious as it should have been.

Coachless Salford lacked the craft of a Tony Smith or the power of a Graham Mackay to open up the home defence, but this was a hard-working performance that showed the new man, when he is appointed, has a little more to work with than has been previously suggested.

'"I thought it was a pretty fair performance,'' said Steve Simms, the club's director of rugby, who has taken over the coaching duties temporarily following the departure of Steve McCormack. "At half-time, I thought we were the better side."

That was something they achieved with the collusion of Hull, who were not much better than they were in their recent defeat at the Boulevard by another of the competition's struggling sides, Warrington. Although the only points of the first 39 minutes were a penalty apiece, Salford had enjoyed the better of the game territorially and would have capitalised if they had possessed a slightly sharper cutting edge.

Instead, they fell behind on the stroke of half-time when Tony Smith – influential for Hull in the absence of his namesake, Jason – kicked through and Gareth Raynor beat Gary Broadbent to the ball. It could be Raynor's last try in Hull colours because there are fears that the winger, a target for Leicester Rugby Union, could have broken his leg later in the game.

Hull went further ahead at the start of the second half, but Smith worked a clever run-around move with Chris Chester to send Adam Maher through the gap.

That was the stage at which Salford might have been expected to fold, but they showed commendable spirit to hit back, Alan Hunte scoring against one of his former clubs after Graham Holroyd's kick had hit a post and Broadbent had the presence of mind to pick up the loose ball and fling it wide.

Salford were then on top for the best part of 10 minutes, but wasted their best chance by straying off-side and then saw Hull go to the other end of the pitch and score the crucial try.

Their leading scorer, Mackay, made the running, drawing Broadbent to send Smith over. "That was the turning point of the match,'' said Simms. That's the sort of loss of discipline that costs you games, because I honestly believe that for an hour we were in with a chance.''

Garreth Carvell then went over from close range and Maher claimed his second after Mackay and Deon Bird had created the space. Missing players and the thought of a big game at Leeds this Friday could have accounted for Hull being below par – along with the difficult handling conditions created by a downpour – and they have extra problems for Headingley with Matt Crowther likely to miss out as well as Raynor.

Hull: Horne; Raynor, Kohe-Love, Mackay, Crowther; Cooke, T Smith; Greenhill, Last, Logan, Ryan, Maher, Chester. Substitutes used: Carvell, Parker, Bird, King

Salford: Broadbent; Hunte, Gibson, Littler, Arnold; Maloney, Holroyd; Corvo, Alker, Baynes, Jovitt, Treacy, Wainwright. Substitutes used: Ebrill, Highton, Hancock, Coley.

Referee: R Silverwood (Mirfield).