SAINTS got back on the horse after last week’s shocking Challenge Cup exit with a 34-20 victory which would have been even more emphatic had the passes for two or three more clear scoring chances stuck.

It has been a tough five days since Sunday’s drubbing by Hull FC, with the fall-out from that prompting the chairman Eamonn McManus to pen in his programme notes that redemption would only come by “showing a significant improvement throughout the rest of the Super League season” .

Beating Salford, after four home defeats from the last five at Langtree Park, was a start – and with Wigan losing, it lifts Saints into fourth as they approach a run of four tough matches.

A look down the teamsheets, particularly at the Red Devils classy backline, underlined the fact that Saints would not have an easy night of it.

Salford had already pasted Saints 44-10 at the AJ Bell Stadium and were after their first win on St Helens soil since 1980.

Saints got off to a shaky start when Robert Lui’s high ball was caught by Jonny Lomax and Adam Swift, and from the scrum Niall Evalds sneaked over in the corner for the game’s opening try.

Saints’ riposte was almost immediate with Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook showing power and determination to launch himself at the line after receiving a nice Theo Fages pass.

Luke Walsh’s conversion made it 6-4 and, after Swift had put down a flicked-on pass, Saints were soon in again with the alert Mark Percival stretching over from dummy half to make it 10-4.

Although they temporarily lost a groggy Kyle Amor on 26 minutes, who went off for concussion assessment, Saints dug in and defended back-to-back sets on their own line before going up the other end to his the Red Devils with a sucker punch.

Alex Walmsley's offload created the half chance for converted second row Dominique Peyroux to seize the opportunity to score his first Super League try; he showed good determination to power over with Walsh's conversion making a comfortable 16-4 lead.

But Saints dropped their concentration just before the break with Ben Murdoch-Masila bouncing off defenders for Evalds to grab his second try to cut the interval gap to 16-8.

Saints should have extended the lead but Jon Wilkin dropped a pass from James Roby's surging break with the line at his mercy.

A 50-metre Swift run stunned Salford, who conceded a fourth try with Walsh sending Lomax sprinting over on a curving run to make it 22-8.

The sight of Lomax limping off left plenty in the crowd fearful of the extent of the injury, although Keiron Cunningham later offered re-assurance that it was a muscle injury and the withdrawal had been precautionary.

Salford regathered the ball from kick off and a quick-fire response with Justin then Evalds’ hat-trick after fine skill from Lui, cut the deficit to 22-20.

Saints needed to be on their mettle to foil Carney as he chased Dobson's kick to the right hand corner.

With the game on a knife-edge Logan Tomkins went high on Jon Wilkin, and that penalty allowed Theo Fages the position to sidestep and then dash over the line.

Saints managed that eight-point lead smartly before wrapping the game up when Amor, back on the field and recovered from his head knock, was up in support to roar over the white-wash.

It was a fully deserved score for the big Cumbrian, one of the leaders in the pack of big men - Lama Tasi, Alex Walmsley and McCarthy-Scarsbrook - who really upped their game a few notches after being marmalised the previous week.

It was a well-worked victory, and one that crucially lifts Cunningham’s men into the top four – but they know that even bigger tests are to come over the next four weeks and next time they will have to be a touch more clinical with those half chances if they are to take the spoils.

Saints: Lomax; Swift, Dawson, Percival, Owens; Fages, Walsh; Tasi, Roby, Amor, Peyroux, Wilkin, McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Subs: Walmsley, Vea, Savelio, Knowles.

Salford: O'Brien; Carney, Sa'u, Evalds, Vidot; Lui, Dobson; Kopczak, Tomkins, Griffin, Murdoch-Masila, Jones, Lannon. Subs: Hauraki, Walne, Krasniqi, Joseph.