WOLVES conceded eight points in the final three minutes of the first half to trail narrowly at the break in the first Super League semi final.

There was little between the sides in the opening quarter, although Warrington enjoyed more of the territory.

Dec Patton booted Wolves in front with a 40-metre penalty goal after 20 minutes, the result of a ball steal by Joe Greenwood on Ashton Sims.

Saints responded in kind through Luke Walsh from 10 metres after Joe Westerman was deemed guilty of holding down Alex Walmsley from Saints’ first threatening attack.

The Wire had a let off when Adam Swift hared over in the corner after Stefan Ratchford spilled the ball from a kick return but the video referee Joe Cobbs alerted Ben Thaler to a high tackle from Mark Percival in the first instance.

Salt was rubbed into the wounds being licked by Saints when Kurt Gidley shot through a hole in the trail of Chris Hill’s bullocking run to notch the opening try in the 30th minute, with Patton converting.

The lead lasted only eight minutes, with Saints breaking away from halfway through Swift off a Jordan Turner offload. Swift had Lomax on his inside to finish off and Walsh’s conversion levelled the scores.

On the hooter Thaler thought he saw interference at a play-the-ball and Walsh fired Saints into the lead for the first time from 40 metres out.