Vikings edged out in close encounter

Thursday 18th March 2010

Story in brief:

Widnes Vikings 28

Halifax 30

by Martin Lace

HALIFAX inflicted Widnes Vikings' first defeat of the season in a pulsating Cooperative Championship clash at Stobart Stadium.

The game could have gone either way as both sides enjoyed large spells of pressure to kill one another off but it wasn't until the final three minutes when the game was decided through a Sean Penkywicz try which gave the visitors an eight point buffer and enough for victory.

Widnes hit back immediately through Richard Varkulis in the final minute and despite an excellent touch line conversion from Shane Grady to make it 28-30, Halifax hung on.

The Vikings dearly missed the calming influence of skipper Mark Smith who was ruled out only hours from kick off with tonsilitis.

When players were losing their heads the game needed an experienced and imposing figure and it was Halifax's impressive Aussie stand-off Luke Branighan who was the difference. 

Widnes started the game the brighter of the two sides and they could have run in more tries than the solitary effort from Thomas Coyle in the opening exchanges.

The Vikings were fully in control but bombed chances and allowed Fax back into it; so much so they racked up a 6-16 lead courtesy of tries from Rob Worrincy, Paul White and Lee Paterson.

Widnes got back into it before the break through the outstanding Lee Doran and Coyle. They backed that effort up with a try on 61 minutes from Liam Farrell, but Fax kept the score board ticking over through Paterson and Branighan which proved to be a key factor.

Paul Cullen's men could have closed the game at 22-18 but Halifax persevered and on the back of successive penalties Shad Royston touched down to swing the game in his team's favour.

Penkywicz's effort minutes from time sealed things for the Yorkshire outfit.

A disappointed Paul Cullen said: "Halifax were fractionally better than us. We know we can get better and we know we have some very good players to come back into the side."

WIDNES

TRIES: Coyle (4,52), Doran 39,Farrell 61,Varkulis 79

GOALS:  Grady 4/6

HALIFAX

TRIES: Worrincy 22, White 28, Paterson 32,Royston 71,Penkywicz 77

GOALS: Patterson 2/3 Brannigan 3/3