IT was anything but pretty, but Saints made in nine wins from their last 10 matches to make certain of a semi-final spot.

That they won so convincingly in the end was down to the impact three first half subs – Kyle Amor, Luke Thompson and Morgan Knowles – had in steering them back on the right path.

All three crossed the whitewash to put Saints in the driving seat after Saints had twice trailed after a lackadaisical first quarter.

Although depleted Tigers were down on numbers and essentially playing purely for pride, they twice opened Saints’ defence up with ease and at one stage it looked as though the visitors had a chance of winning on St Helens soil for the first time since 1992.

But once Saints began playing to their strengths, with the short passing game and direct running of the big men they secured a grip of the game that they never looked like relinquishing.

Saints had got off to a dreadful start when after conceding a brace of early penalties speedy Cas full back Luke Dorn dashed through a gap as wide as the Mersey tunnel on the Saints right edge.

Saints levelled it with a finely executed play when Jon Wilkin collected a Tommy Martynesque inside ball from Luke Walsh before lofting it right for Adam Swift to collect and dropping down for his centre partner Matty Fleming to cross.

Walsh, back in the side after serving a two-match ban, slotted the touchline conversion to level, but it took a fine Jonny Lomax tackle on Greg Minikin to stop a certain score.

But with Saints making handling errors, helped by the odd Tigers paw in the tackle, the adventurous visitors were back in front, winger Ryan Hampshire collecting Dorn’s looping cut-out pass to score in acres of space on the right to nudge Castleford 10-6 ahead.

But Saints’ super subs changed the direction of the game.

Morgan Knowles started the ball rolling when after a penalty for a Gale high shot on Joe Greenwood, Walsh’s well-timed short pass put the teenage loose forward over.

Then after Dorn spilled Turner’s monster bomb, Saints again cashed in with Amor powering over from close range from Wilkin’s tipped on pass.

Skipper Wilkin, after being a little off colour in the preceding two games, was back to working nicely with Walsh on his return.

Stand-off Rangi Chase was sin-binned five minutes before the break for tripping Lomax as he chased Fleming’s kick.

Saints made Chase pay with Thompson, back from his two-match ban, running strongly on to Walsh’s pass to score.

Walsh made it 24-10 at the break, but the first phase of the second half drifted again.

Turner was unable to ground the ball following a wicked Walsh reverse kick towards the uprights and then Castleford centre Ben Crooks had one chalked off by the video ref for a knock-on in the build-up.

Although Saints built pressure, forcing goal-line drop-outs, it was the hour mark when they opened the half’s scoring when Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook forced his way over from close range.

With open rugby at a premium it was refreshing to see the outstanding Lomax dash and weave his way through the defence from deep.

Although they did not score straight away, or seek to at all cost, they zipped it right then left, with Wilkin, Walsh and Turner fashioning the space for Swift to dash over for his 15th try of the campaign.

A comical decision saw Will Maher grab a consolation try for Castleford on 77 minutes, despite what looked like a clear knock on and a forward pass

But Alex Walmsley’s barnstorming run, taking Amor’s pass, wrapped up the scoring. Brushing off two would-be tacklers on the hooter.

Jack Owens’ brought up the 40 points as Saints moved into third with eyes on moving up to second.

Saints: Lomax, Owens, Peyroux, Fleming, Swift; Turner, Walsh; Walmsley, Roby, Richards, Wilkin, Greenwood, McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Subs: Amor, Vea, Thompson, Knowles.

Castleford: Dorn; Hampshire, Crooks, Minikin, Solomona; Chase, Gale; Cook, McShane, Patrick, Webster, Moors, Milner. Subs: Maher, Fitsimmons, Flynn, Douglas.