CHRIS Hicks missed a conversion with the last kick of the game to hand Salford an 18-16 victory at The Willows.

From despair had come hope, when Ben Westwood scored on the final play, just three minutes after Luke Adamson's converted score looked to have sealed it for Reds.

Having already nailed two difficult touchline conversions, everyone in the ground would have banked on Hicks holding his nerve to do the same with the pressure kick.

But, as boos, jeers and whistles rained down on him from all sides, the Australian full back pulled his conversion across the front of the posts.

It may have been cruel but the final result was probably just, as Salford had showed tremendous character to soak up some heavy pressure before striking the crucial blow.

Wolves did not lack spirit themselves and put in a largely impressive performance on defence as the poor conditions led to a battle of attrition on the pitch.

But they did not show enough variety or ideas in attack and lacked the necessary go-forward to make Salford pay.

Missing Lee Briers to a thigh strain, Warrington were forced to play Chris Bridge at stand off, although the absence of one of their key playmakers initially did not seem to hamper them.

Putting Reds under pressure through several sets, they were gifted a golden chance when Luke Swain was penalised for crossing right in front of his own line.

Salford’s defence reached breaking point and the probing paid off, as Paul Johnson picked up from dummy half to squeeze over the line for the first of his two tries. Hicks nailed the tricky touchline conversion.

Despite the strong start, worrying signs soon began to appear.

Again, Wolves committed a few too many basic errors and only stern goal-line defence kept Salford out after a couple of penalties had allowed them to march up the field.

But cracks soon appeared in an otherwise strong defensive effort.

A knock-on gave Reds a scrum on the Warrington 20-metre line and it was all too easy for livewire scrum half Richie Myler as he picked up from the set piece and scooted through a gaping hole on the blindside to score between the posts on 22 minutes.

John Wilshere could not miss the conversion from right in front.

Sloppy defending provided more easy pickings for Myler only six minutes later.

The 18-year-old put a clever grubber kick to the right corner and thanks to a bout of ‘to me, to you’ between Hicks and Matt King, he was allowed to pounce on the loose ball himself.

Wilshere goaled and to make matters worse, a heavy tackle caused stand off Bridge to leave the field clutching his head in the immediate aftermath.

But magical moments can change games and, 10 minutes after the break, one such moment from King seemed set to do just that.

Initially hesitating as he chased back a high kick from Paul, he turned, stepped through one tackle, powered through another and gained Wolves 30 metres.

Late in the same set, Bridge, back on the field with his head heavily bandaged, sent a delicate, measured grubber to the right corner and Johnson pounced.

With the pressure on, Hicks made the difficult touchline kick.

On the back of that, errors were reduced, sets were completed and opportunities began to present themselves.

Wolves could have had two more tries in quick succession.

Simon Grix knocked with the try-line at his mercy after King had helped on Monaghan’s kick.

Then, Bridge and Johnson attempted to repeat their try-scoring move but the winger was halted short and his behind-the-back pass found the hands of Dean McGilvray rather than those of Louis Anderson.

The fine margins between success and failure were evident at the opposite end too, as Wilshere just failed to ground his own kick through.

But it always appeared likely Wolves would rue their missed opportunities and, so it proved, as Salford turned the tide.

They snatched back the initiative and, after both Monaghan and Ratchford missed drop goals, scored what proved to be the decisive try.

Pressure on the line saw Craig Stapleton held up but a short pass found Adamson and he forced his way over. Wilshere goaled to pile on the pressure.

But there was yet more drama to come. A short restart was claimed by King and working their way into the Salford 20, Wolves moved the ball right and Bridge found Westwood, who hit the line at pace to dive through.

With time up and Warrington trailing by two, it was all on Hicks.

Immaculate with his previous two kicks, he could not keep up his perfect record, sending The Willows into raptures.

Wolves: Chris Hicks (2g); Paul Johnson (2t), Vinnie Anderson, Simon Grix, Matt King; Chris Bridge, Michael Monaghan; Adrian Morley, Mickey Higham, Garreth Carvell, Louis Anderson, Ben Westwood (1t), Ben Harrison. Subs: Paul Wood, Paul Rauhihi, Lee Mitchell, Jon Clarke.

Reds: John Wilshere (3g); Stefan Ratchford, Stuart Littler, Jordan Turner, Dean McGilvray; Jeremy Smith, Richie Myler (2t); Ray Cashmere, Malcolm Alker, Craig Stapleton, Luke Adamson (1t), Rob Parker, Luke Swain. Subs: Phil Leuluai, Lee Jewitt, Ian Sibbit, Robbie Paul.