SAINTS have ended their Magic hoodoo with a stunning 20-16 win over Warrington.

A hugely improved second half from Keiron Cunningham's men saw them rally from a 16-8 deficit to keep the Wolves pointless in the last 40 minutes.

It was quite a transformation as at one stage it bore all the hallmarks of the way the previous three Magic fixtures had unravelled and after a sloppy opening half, littered by poor ball control, Saints were probably lucky to go in at the break hanging on.

Stern words and more application after the break saw Saints get the toe-hold they needed.

First Adam Swift had to foil Richie Myler's break when a try looked certain.

And then Swift polished off great work from Jordan Turner, who picked the ball up and scattered the defence before floating the pass wide to a grateful receiver to give Saints a crucial try.

Skipper Jon Wilkin then somehow drove the ball to the line and Saints were ahead for the first time - all of a sudden there was some real belief.

And they defended the lead, added to with a Tommy Makinson penalty, resolutely with a real backs to the wall effort through a series of repeat sets in the closing five minutes.

No tackle epitomised that more than Makinson's ball and all challenge on Daryl Clark to snuff out a late Wire threat to clinch it.

After both sides had started solidly, completing well, Saints began to make handling errors compounded by penalties.

Warrington confidently seized the initiative with tries from Stefan Ratchford and Ben Harrison giving them an early lead.

Worryingly they had also lost James Roby with a head knock during that spell, but he soon returned to add some zest to Saints' midfield running.

Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook pulled one back after Wilkin's kick had taken a wicked ricochet  and added a penalty to level before Saints let Ryan Atkins in for a soft try and penalty to trail 16-8 at the break.

But Saints hung in and then got the crucial first score after the restart to give the Wolves something to think about in the second half.

Makinson's tackle rightly earned plaudits, but Swift was equally effective on the other flank.

In the middle unsung players Josh Jones and the vastly improved Greg Richards also earned their corn and skipper Wilkin was a tower of strength.

Although it was far from a complete performance, it was one in which Saints showed immense character and will go a long way in helping Saints consolidate their position in the top four.