Saints given extra Good Friday incentive

Former Saints player and Wiganer Sean Long will help take charge of the side on Friday

hey will be aiming to give sacked coach Keiron Cunningham a much-needed pick-me-up after one of the most traumatic working weeks in his life.

Nothing will compensate for losing a job he cherished but the pain will ease a little if Saints pick up two much-needed points against their arch rivals who, like themselves, have made an inauspicious start to the new season.

Assisant coach Jamahl Lolesi said:’’There is no one who wants us to win at Wigan more than Keiron and the first thing he did when receiving the bad news was to telephone me and tell me to make sure we all trained well yesterday.

‘’He said there was nothing more important that beating Wigan and the lads will be busting a gut not only to pick up two points for our fans but dedicate any victory to Keiron following the loyal service he has given the club during the past 24 years.’’

Lolesi added: ‘’The events of the past 24 hours have been sad and hard for everyone at the club to come to terms with but the show must go on and Keiron is well aware of that.

‘’He has wished us all the best and hope we can go from strength to strength.’’

Saints have said they are in no great hurry to appoint a new head coach and in the meantime Lolesi, former player Sean Long and Derek Traynor will share the responsibility of running the club at player level.

Meanwhile, tickets for Friday’s derby at Wigan are selling fast.

The Warriors have reported that more than 21,000 have already been sold and we can confirm that the North Stand is already ram-packed with our supporters.

Saints have sold in excess of 3,500 for the traditional clash with fans advised to get theirs as soon as possible.

They are on sale from the Ticket Office at the Totally Wicked Stadium, by calling 01744 455 052.

Castleford come to St Helens on Easter Monday too in what is a mouth-watering fixture.

The Tigers currently top the Super League table but Saints will be aiming to halt their run in front of a passionate home crowd.

The game kicks off at 3pm - and tickets remain on sale.