ANDREW Dixon believes Leigh can revive their Super League ambitions with victory against his former club at the AJ Bell Stadium on Sunday.

But the ex-Red Devil reckons this season’s Challenge Cup victory over neighbours Salford will count for nothing when the noisy neighbours square-up once more.

Twenty four hours after Leigh’s crushing 36-26 defeat to Hull KR, Salford opened their Middle 8s win account at Wakefield’s expense.

And Dixon isn’t contemplating another defeat against more top-flight opposition.

"We’ve lost games before and bounced back straight away,” said the 25-year-old second rower.

“We know Salford will come at us all guns blazing. They are a good side.

“We have a lot of respect for them and I am sure they have a lot of respect for us. But you can’t focus on any ‘must win'.

“Besides, I don’t think any game is going to be easy in the Middle 8s. We are just focused on trying to get better and maintain the things we are doing well.”

Leigh toppled the Red Devils 22-18 in the cup back in April and would love a repeat score line.

“That’s previous history; it’s not going to affect what we do now,” insists Dixon, who spent two seasons at Salford before joining the Centurions on a two-year deal at the start of 2015.

“Yes, Salford was a chapter in my life and I made good friends there. But I don’t regret any decision I’ve ever made and it’s all about Leigh now.

“It’s no concern of mine what is or isn’t happening at Salford now. Me concentrating on anything else won’t help Leigh win games.”

Dixon was one of four first-half try scorers for Centurions against Wembley-bound Hull KR before the wheels fell off late in the game.

“It’s never good losing,” he agrees.

“We were upbeat about the first half but the second wasn’t good enough.

“We will take positives from the good stuff and work on the bad stuff this week.”

Despite defeat, Leigh again impressed with a willingness to produce an expansive, attacking game. And one defeat won’t change the philosophy.

“All the players believe in what ‘Rowls’ (coach Paul Rowley) is trying to do and how we try to play,” explains Dixon.

“So, if he ever wanted to change it, we would have no problem. But the boys really enjoy how we play and it is a smart way of playing too.”

Rowley will not abandon his game plan after such a run of success leading up to the Hull KR defeat.

But he warned his players must be "smarter" if they want to achieve their Super League dream.

"It's a step up for us, we need to get a bit wiser, and bit better," he said.

"We stopped defending tough down at their end.

"Everyone knows Hull KR come out very well with their back five, and we needed to be very good defensively.

"We needed enthusiasm and energy and toughness and we didn't do that and compounded that with a poor kicking game.

"When you play the calibre of opposition like Hull KR they will punish you and territory is key, those two attributes enable Hull KR to get territory."

Both Leigh and Hull KR escaped any disciplinary fall-out from their respective fixtures. Gareth Hock’s early elbow directed at stand-off Maurice Blair was watched by the RFL’s match review panel, who deemed there wasn’t dangerous contact to justify a disciplinary charge.

Salford trio Rene Matuia, Tommy Lee and Cory Paterson all also avoided any payback for their respective incidents in their 34-26 triumph against Wakefield.