WARRINGTON Wolves’ improved defence was not the only facet of the win at Salford Red Devils that caught Tony Smith’s eye.

“I enjoyed our patience,” he said after the 28-12 victory at the AJ Bell Stadum.

“By being a bit more patient we therefore came up with points because we did stay down the other end of the field at times and put Salford under pressure.

“I think the amount of possession we had in the first half hurt them.

“I liked the patience and some of the combinations, and the fact we weren’t trying to score on each and every set and every play.

“There was some maturity about our performance.”

And overall he considered the third successive win a further improvement on previous showings.

“Our last 50 minutes against London Broncos was very good and I thought we were better tonight.

“Defensively, we’re a whole different team.

“I think we missed 13 tackles against London in total and I think we missed maybe two or three in the first half against Salford.

“There may have been a few more by the time full-time came around but certainly it was a lot closer to the defensive efforts that we’re expecting from one another.”

Although Wolves rarely looked in trouble against Brian Noble’s side, Smith reckoned his men’s own progress came against an improved Red Devils side that had lost its last two games against Widnes Vikings and St Helens following opening wins against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and London Broncs.

“Salford showed a lot of commitment and defended their try line very well,” he said.

“You can see them working hard to get some results going their way.

“I thought it was a good competitive game.

“Salford didn’t give in and it was an improvement on their recent performances, as was ours.”