I am expecting a close game one i think we will win (24-16), what i cannot understand is why we are playing it on a friday and not saturday after the toulouse trip.

it does seem abit stupid since the time to get back and recover but apprantly whitehaven had to cope with an even shorter rest time so its not just us i guess
ill be on holiday for this match but i think we well step it up at home and just win (28-26)

Tough game obviously. It'll all depend on the motivation of the players. Go into it half d and we'll be eaten alive, so I think the crowd is absolutely vital to keep the spirits going. If we go into the thing full pelt, we can and should beat them. That means ferocious forward play, inventive backs and safety from the full back.

Let's hope we see the good side of Dodd.

Would be good to get 4,000 in for this one, lets hope the weather is decent and Fax can bring about 500 to make it a decent atmospehere.

Fax will want revenge big style for that semi final defeat and Black and Beswick in particular will be out to shine. But were at home and i always expect us to win when were at home but anything less than 100% commitment and we'll get turned over.

WHooooooooh.

whose arrogant now???

Hopefully it can be nearer 5000. We haven't played at home for a while, we've won the NRC and we're playing the best team in the league.

The club should run a couple of offers and really push it.

should be a good game this. can't make it over cuase am working but i will be having texts of the score.

am gonna say 24- 22 to fax. blacky will have had this game down on the calender since the rail semi. beswick will always look to shine. plus we lost last weekend so that might be the kick up the we deserve and you have just been to toulouse and won like us and we lost next game after so should be a cracker looking forward to it.

You should beat us were gash.
Going to be a struggle with the 7.30 kick off but should be able to make it. So thats 18 were bringing at least. Tell your ticket office to be ready.

I'm pondering a whistlestop visit to Widnes for this one myself. Think we'll get beat, tbh.

I hope you're right mate.



I'm not so sure myself but I'll tell you what, The Championship gets better each week! It would be a brave man who tried to predict practically any game with any degree of certainty.

It's probably the most wide open comp for a while. I think the quality has decreased since 2007, though. I think Salford weren't half as good as the 2007 Widnes side which were beaten Grand Finalists last season, for instance.

All good fun this year though. Enjoy watching Halifax.

Good point, but I think that the quality in the league from top to bottom has evened out considerably compared to that 2007 season.

This makes for a far better comp, like you say its wide open.

This is because of a 400,000 salary cap.If was 800,000 then we could dominate.Made me laugh when they said reducing the cap.That would make it even harder for teams like us,fax and barrow.

Lets fecking hit em hard in the pack first, rattle a few bones and then throw the ball wide and create some space for Penny and Deano.

I'f they're going to have a cap this small in this division they should remove the two places of relegation. We're in a situation where the best supported, biggest club in the division can easily go down to the third tier, killing them off.

Relegation is not good enough for super league but we have two places in a 10 team league. That is absolutely ridiculous.

Like Maximus Decimus, I think that it being our 1st home game for a while and also the 1st since winning the cup should bring a few more fans but it will impact on Fax bringing a decent few over.

The club should look at putting offers on for games like this to encourage a better turn out.

I'm not sure dropping the prices for adults will work long term as people will come to expect it.

Kids are the future and allowing them in for a nominal fee as long as they are accompanied by an adult or an adult and child/family of 3,4,5 etc. ticket package may be better ways forward.

I'll go for 3800 (closer to 4500 if Sat/Sun) or so with us winning 33 - 26.

Can't see anything other than a Widnes victory, Miles Greenwood is a big miss for us and I doubt Royston will be fully fit. Should be a cracking game though.

The weathers not going to be the best so we probably will do well to get over 4000 especially considering its up against Saints Wigan. That's likely to detract a few fair weather fans and even neutral fans from attending.

I reckon Fax by 10.

Whats the adult admission pice into the stobart please??? I think Fax will bring around 700, and win bye 12+ but may the best team win.... Best of luck

if the whether is bad then i think you will win

30-18 to widnes, quite comfortable cause we have quick backs and not as much go forward as you we tend to play quite bad in bad conditions cause we dont alter the game plan to deal with it.

if its good whether

widnes 22 fax 24

think that in the good whether i think we may have too much in the backs for you tbh. you have some good players but blacky will be eager for this and beswick will look to impress against his old club.

one thing is for sure though this is gonna be a cracker its a shame am working so cant make it over to the stobart

Fax will be up for this after their loss last week and the NRC game..

I definately think we are the most balanced side now though... if the weather is bad then hopefully the forwards will step up to the mark... If the weather is good then we have the backs to apply the finish.

I'm more than happy for the Fax fans to also think they have the edge in the backs too. Gaskell, Koe-Love, Penny and Dodd have bags of ability between them and the play between them and the two half-backs is getting better all the time.

Widnes seem to move up a gear in the last twenty minutes of the half and get the scores so it might be a case of trying to contain Fax for the first twenty.

Personally I think we should get at them and tire them out. At times in the NRC game they looked completely devoid of ideas and start making more mistakes. So I'm hoping for a quick start from us.

im honestly surprised at the negativity of the fax fans tbh, with the exception of the 2nd half on friday our attack has been ruthless. Ever since the semi final when we bombed serveral try-scoring opps we have been really clinical in games v leigh+toulouse. It should be a really good game i cant wait. i think we will be really up for it and should have enough creativity to outscore widnes.

Vikings 18 - 30 Fax
att - 4500
MOM - Black
1st Try - goddard

i suppose it can depend on what sort of form the backs are in

i would say not just cause am a fax fan but i would say we have the advantage in the backs, webster and duffy and smith are good players but i think we have quicker backs and i would just say we have the advantage.

but the forwards are important to give the backs the chance to play and i would say you have the advantage in the forwards just about so its going to be a couple of points either way.

A biased 700 or an actual 700?

I'd be surprised if 700 go from Fax for a Friday night game, particularly with a 1930 kick off.

It always makes me laugh when people say "How many will you bring" or "We will take so many". How the hell can you know? You can't even say how many you took (with any degree of accuracy) after the game.