The Memorial Ground faithful didn’t hold out much hope for Wilmslow when they faced St Helens – and their expectations were realised.

The Liverpool side were confidently expecting to extend their nine-match winning sequence and were nearly at full strength with both the league’s leading points and try scorers.

Greg Smith started the game with 221 points and winger Ian Stanley had 15 tries to his credit. The experienced Phil Kearns led a sturdy looking pack, which had not been bettered in a long while.

On the other hand, the Wolves were missing their two first-choice locks and were having to adjust to life without the talismanic Ryan Parkinson at No 8.

There was something of a makeshift look about a pack which saw the recall of Danny Jones at eight, Chris Lee drafted into the open side flanker position, a new second row pairing of Harrison Lewis and Dan Wright and two props, Jack Walmsley and Tom Hall, both still under 21.

On paper, the pack just looked too inexperienced, callow and under-powered to deal with their opponents.

Within a minute, Ian Stanley had added to his try tally by scoring in the corner, Greg Smith converting. Liverpool St Helens crossed for a further five tries in the first half, shredding the Wilmslow defence and scoring at will, all of the tries converted by Smith.

To their credit, the Wolves refused to allow this onslaught to get their heads down and when they could get their hands on the ball, they showed that they could play a bit as well.

A Josh Longmore penalty after three minutes got them on the scoreboard, a darting touch down from Christian Lillie kept them in touch and a good try from Ben Day meant that, at the interval, they were 42-15 adrift.

Who knows what was going through the minds of the players at this stage. Maybe the visitors thought the hard work was done and that another 40 points would just come without undue effort.

Maybe the Wolves just thought they had nothing to lose and that, in already scoring two tries, their opponents weren’t super men after all.

Five minutes into the second half, Longmore placed an exquisite cross-kick into the arms of Day who still had a bit of running to do before crossing for the try.

This was followed by the LSH pack exerting their no-nonsense authority with a 20-yard drive from a lineout for their seventh try of the game but it didn’t have the effect of subduing these pesky Wolves, now buzzing around like demented wasps who just wouldn’t be swatted away.

Visibly they grew in stature as they took the game on. Longmore was calm and faultless throughout, Elliot Brierley in the centre simply outstanding, a threat every time the ball came his way, full back Matty King and wingers Lillie and Day, at last back to something like his best, were all playing with a smile on their faces.

Up front, the old master Jones became increasingly prominent, and it was Lewis’ best showing as he grabbed his opportunity to impose himself in the second row and Jamie Thomas, coming on as a substitute, threw himself at everything.

A fourth bonus-point try came from Chris Lee supporting his backs, and then two more followed from the mazy running of King.

The Liverpool side looked shell-shocked, this kind of response hadn’t been in their script at all, as they lost their shape and composure and argued with referee Daniel Taylor, who sent two of them to the sin bin in the last minutes.

And then time ran out. LSH had the win and the points they had come for and their challenge for league honours was maintained, but there would have been something missing in their celebrations back on Merseyside after losing the second half 24-5.

As for the Wolves, they must have soaked up enough belief and confidence from their second-half performance to understand that anything is possible.

Whatever they may lack, it isn’t spirit or a ‘joie de vivre’ in the way they play.

Next week top of the league Burnage will be the visitors.

Elsewhere, the Vikings were forced to bend the knee at Fylde when they were eventually outgunned in the set-piece, the Developmentals were well beaten by league leaders Lymm but Andy Duggan’s Ravens continued on their winning ways at Ashton-under-Lyne with Gareth Jones scoring his 21st try of the season.

They now lie third in Division Five East of the Salford University Leagues.