Match Report : Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:54 pm
Widnes climbed into third place in their Northern Rail group with an eventually convincing win over Martin Crompton's Blackpool side at Fylde RU.
However at times the Vikings looked disjointed and it took a half-time gee up from John Stankevitch to get them playing the type of rugby they are capable of. After the game Stankevitch was ‘averagely satisfied' with his team's display.
"We make things hard for ourselves" he said, " We get ourselves involved in an arm wrestle with lower teams instead of finishing them off. We've got to learn to rise above teams like Blackpool and concentrate on our own game, we gave away far too many penalties and there's a good 50% improvement in us but in fairness to come this far in less than two weeks is a good sign."
The signs were good early on as the visitors built up a 12 - 0 lead within the opening ten minutes. Michael Ostick was prominent in the build up to both tries, Toa Kohe Love and Lee Doran the tryscorers with Scott Yates adding two conversions, the first from the touchline.
A number of back to back penalties served to give the Panthers good field position and on 23 minutes the visitors defence was stretched allowing Damien Munro to cross wide out, Jonny Leather on target with the conversion.
Widnes struggled at times to maintain possession when in attacking positions but their skill element was evident for all to see eight minutes from time as a precision chip from James Webster was touched down by Tim Hartley, Yates improving to re-establish Widnes' twelve point advantage.
Yates had a great game at fullback but his only mistake of the game cam two minutes before the interval as he failed to hold a Blackpool bomb and from the resultant scrum the position was created for loose forward Mel Alker to plunge over from acting half-back, Leather converting.
Widnes started the second half as they did the first and within two minutes had their fourth try on the board. John Duffy and Gavin Dodd put Widnes onto the attack and a smart pass from Mark Smith sent Richard Fletcher over, Yates again on target.
From the restart is was another crisp Duffy pass that sent Anthony Thackery through a gap, Yates continuing the move before being hauled down just short of the line. From the play the ball the ball was moved right and Duffy sent Kohe Love in for his second score too far out for Yates to improve.
Widnes were making progress down the Panthers' left side and Kohe Love turned provider on 48 minutes as his inside pass gave Paddy Flynn the space to beat the defence to score by the posts enabling Yates to get back on target with his goal-kicking.
On 52 minutes Widnes added their fourth try of the half and it was a well deserved solo try for Duffy who side-stepped his marker before outpacing Leather to touchdown, Yates adding the extras to take the visitors points total to forty.
Ten minutes later Hartley had an effort disallowed for a forward pass but within two minutes the Vikings scored their final try and it was great play by Flynn that was followed up by Yates, the fullback's pace doing the rest and his seventh conversion giving him a tally of eighteen points for the afternoon.
With three minutes remaining Blackpool stand-off Chris Forster crossed in the corner for a well-deserved consolation try but the three points belonged to Widnes.
Blackpool; Leather; Mugan, Munro, McCully, Campbell; Forster, McGovern; Fairhurst, Clough, Ratcliffe, Alcock, Kay, Alker Subs: Keavney, Svabic, Boland, Draper.
Tries: Munro, Alker, Forster
Goals: Leather 2
Widnes: Yates; Flynn, Kohe Love, Strong, Dodd; Thackeray, Webster; Ostick, Smith, Gannon, Kavanagh, Fletcher, Doran Subs: Duffy, Hartley, Simm, Houghton
Tries: Kohe Love 2, Doran, Hartley, Fletcher, Flynn, Duffy, Yates
Goals: Yates 7
Referee W Turley
Att 864
©2009 Widnes Vikings Rugby League Football Club
