SAINTS were booed off after producing yet another below-par performance at Langtree Park which leaves their season being in grave danger of being effectively over before June is out.

Although there was effort in patches, their attack resembled a schoolyard game of British bulldog and once again the defensive effort was too soft and lackadaisical.

Despite having plenty of time on the ball, it soon became clear that without injured scrum half Luke Walsh that Saints lacked the sharp tools required to make a decisive incision in the Wolves line.

Even from repeat sets and penalties, much of their play veered between aimless and chaotic, made worse by some frequent handling errors.

That drift was epitomised by prop Greg Richards being teed up to charge the ball in on the last tackle, 20 metres out, and then the over-reliance on skipper Jon Wilkin’s Hail Mary kicks to the corner.

Both sides were guilty of handling errors – and in that sense Saints can count themselves lucky for if the visitors had enjoyed the same amount of possession and field position as them then the Wolves would have probably run in 50.

As it was Warrington scored in three out of the four times they hammered on the Saints line in the first half – and it was all just too easy.

After a year of inconsistencies, this four-match period was always going to reveal an honest picture of where Saints’ crop of 2016 stands.

And it does not look good.

Three losses – two of them heavy ones – with a trip to the south of France to come, Saints are now six points adrift of the top four.

Barring an unforeseen collapse of one of the teams above them combined with a radical change in fortunes from Cunningham’s men, the chances are Saints’ will be dead men walking through the Super 8s.

This was the position Warrington were in last year, and as a result they had to go out and spend boldly on halves Kurt Gidley and Chris Sandow, as well as Joe Westerman and Tom Lineham.

The truth was those star names didn’t have to show that much tonight, because it was clear once the Saints team had made a few errors, their confidence was in their boots and then they began to get even more jittery.

Warrington opened the scoring on five minutes when Ben Currie reached over after taking Sandow's double-pumped pass to cross.

A couple of handling errors from winger Gene Ormsby allowed Saints to pile on some pressure but it soon became clear they lacked the nous or finesse to break the Wolves defence down, madew worse by the taunting of the away following behind that goal.

Warrington scored on their next play with Sandow wrong-footing Atelea Vea close to the line for a try on 18 minutes.

Although Saints almost pulled one back when the busy Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook jumped for Wilkin's high punt but lost the ball trying to get it down.

They needed something there, just to settle them, but as it was Wolves scored next when Currie spotted the full back was caught up at dummy half and kicked over the top for Ryan Atkins to out-pace Jack Owens for another try.

Gidley’s goal made it 16-0 at the break, and the crowd were already booing.

Within three minutes of the second half re-start Daryl Clark pierced the Saints line, and with full-back Stefan Ratchford polishing it off.

It got worse on 48 minutes when winger Adam Swift allowed Rhys Evans to touch down a Gidley grubber that should have been pounced upon or hoofed away to make it 26-0.

It summed up Saints’ night, and that was made worse by seeing Jordan Turner stretchered off – although coach Cunningham said he was sat up ok in the dressing rooms afterwards.

Saints stopped the Wolves from adding to the score in the last 32 minutes, but that was scant comfort for the fans who by this stage were already booing players and joining in Warrington taunts about Cunningham getting “sacked in the morning”.

It took a good piece of skill and no little determination from Jonny Lomax to stop Saints from being nilled at home in a league game for the first time since April 1980.

Lomax, it has to be said, tried hard and never gave up attempting to create something – but the damage had already been done.

Saints have had some pretty dismal nights at Langtree Park since moving in in 2012, but this latest reverse – their fifth loss in the past seven home games – is down there among the lowest points.

With some leaving 10 and 20 minutes before the end and others staying to boo, there is now a huge chasm growing between the disgruntled fans and club leadership.

If there is no sign of that being mended soon, then next year may be way too late to persuade those fans to get back on board.

Saints Jonny Lomax; Jack Owens, Matty Dawson, Jordan Turner, Adam Swift; Theo Fages, Jon Wilkin; Lama Tasi, James Roby, Kyle Amor, Atelea Vea, Jack Ashworth, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Subs: Alex Walmsley, Greg Richards, Luke Thompson, Joe Greenwood.

Wolves: Stefan Ratchford; Gene Ormsby, Rhys Evans, Ryan Atkins, Tom Lineham; Kurt Gidley, Chris Sandow; Chris Hill, Daryl Clark, Ryan Bailey, Ben Currie, Benjamin Jullien, Joe Westerman. Subs: Brad Dwyer, George King, Sam Wilde, Jordan Cox.