Widnes triumph in Championship classic to make it three wins on the bounce

It was a night to remember for Allan Coleman and his team as they ran out 18-12 winners over Championship heavy spenders Oldham.

The game was full of narratives and rivalries, but a try from Matt Fleming and a Ryan Ince brace was enough to sail Widnes to victory.

Head coach Allan Coleman was faced with a selection headache ahead of kick off and opted to leave out star signing Jumah Sambou and captain Jack Owens.

The absence of Owens was a huge call by Coleman, but his bold move paid off with Matt Fleming putting in another fine display.

Jack Bibby, Jack Houghton and Joe Lyons also missed out on selection highlighting the strength and depth of this Widnes team this season.

Nathan Connell – 8

It wasn’t an evening for broken field running but the young Full-back bounced back from a couple of positional mistakes against Workington. He was immaculate under kicks in a high pressure game and positionally spot on. Nathan will only get better as the season progress’s.

Mike Butt – 8

A typical Mike Butt performance full of energy and desire to help his forward pack. He lacked try scoring opportunities but more than made up for it with his yardage carries.

Matt Fleming – 8

A player who has always been solid but in need of showing more. Last weeks man of the match performance was a transformation and this was carried into Friday night. He was on hand to collect a bouncing ball for his try and his coach rewarding him a shirt for the game over captain Jack Owens will do his confidence the world of good.

Joe Edge – 8

Come up with an uncharacteristic error late in the first half putting his team under pressure, however as always was a big metre maker especially in his post contact metres. He is almost an extra forward in the backs and he was as solid as ever defensively putting in a couple of strong hits.

Ryan Ince – 9

One of the most pleasing scores yet again putting in a performance that trumps the week previous. Monumental out of yardage and under the high ball, and his cover last ditch cover tackle showed his desire to put his injury of last season behind him. His two tries was the icing on the Cake especially watching his acrobatic finishing return in such a huge moment. His performance Friday will take some beating next week.

Jordan Abdull – 9

What can you say? Another try assist and his flick pass was instrumental in the match winning play. His burst of emotion in the clip the Vikings grabbed the winner was the moment of the game for me. He is becoming a cult hero and his interview with Tim Holmes on Widnes Vikings YouTube premium is a must watch.

Tom Gilmore – 9

Last week I had reservations this Half-back partnership would flourish due to lack of pace and running threat. How insulting could this observation look when you have two Rugby brains like Abdull and Gilmore. A player who lives for big moments bagged himself two try assists including the match winning assist. His short kicking game was immaculate and his organisation of the team was even better freeing up Abdull to run the show.

Dan Murray – 8

Becomes difficult to write about Dan every week. His performances are unbelievably consistent and almost a mirror image of each other. One of the best signings the club has made in many of seasons and eats up the metres with his carries. Widnes are for sure a better team when he is on the pitch.

Jordan Johnstone – 8

Unbelievable defensively. He run out as captain and led by example how you would expect with his no nonsense approach. He played less minutes at Loose-forward Friday due to Nick Gregson’s level of performance but when he was on the field he was as effective as ever in getting Widnes a foot hold in the game.

Jay Chapelhow – 8

He has been a revelation coming back to the club. His efforts on kick chases are remarkable for a middle especially in the closing stages. He is playing with a point to prove and is relishing life back at Widnes. He and Murray are undoubtably the form partnership in the division.

Max Roberts – 8

Max was as hard working as ever. What he lacks in size he makes up for in heart and spirit. He put in a big tackle in the later stages of the first half dislodging the ball to steer momentum back into the favour of Widnes. He is relishing having a starting shirt to hold onto.

Danny Langtree – 7

Worked hard all match but it was his tackle Josh Drinkwater broke through to race down field and Oldham did score the play after. Despite this he more than contributed defensively and took his fair share of carries. His experience and leadership is vital in the Back-row.

Nick Gregson – 9

There was plenty of talk and emotion going into the match given his relationship with the opposition coach. Coleman gave him the nod and he delivered his best performance in a Widnes shirt. His minutes was longer, his intensity was higher and he was a key component in the teams fluidity in attack. It was a statement performance by Nick.

Matty Fozard – 8

Was back to his best creating all sorts of problems ball in hand and his defence was brilliant throughout. Cole Geyer was the one to watch heading into the game, however Foz and Johnstone made the Australian Hooker look very ordinary. The pair put down their marker why many class the duo as the best Hookers in the competition.

Lewis Hall – 7

He did give a couple of penalties away but is clear he makes the bench due to his aggressive nature. He is smaller than most middles, but the new rules around the ruck suit quicker forwards. He gained quick play the balls for the Hookers and made as many metres as any player ball in hand.

Morgan McWhirter – 7

Morgan come off the bench and created impact ball in hand. He looks a different animal this year but did put his side under pressure with dissent. Despite a solid outing he looks a much better player in the Back-row or at Loose-forward but competition for places are high.

Adam Lawton – 6

It’s a hard write but it has to be a 6. Yet again two penalties and two handling errors put the Vikings under serious preasure. He is a player who offers so much and visually cares but it can be at his detriment at times. To sum it up at this stage next week it would not surprise me he earns the first 10 of the season. It just seems to be one extreme to another at the moment.