What a game. Finest of the season for me. A poor first half from us, we penalised ourselves out of it. Again, Coyle did not do enough for me to justify that new contract. We're not using the overlap enough. Inside passes far too often. We used it once in this game, and scored.

Second half comes, and we cut out the penalties. Except one, which is due to very weak refereeing and lifted the crowd then the players and from that point on we are showing the sort of aggression and drive which can see us beat anyone. Will be interesting to see whether Hulme's chalked off try was indeed a forward pass.

Batley were a credit. Not dirty, really taking it to us with the sort of passing game we were severely lacking for most of the game. But interestingly, they started to drop off at the end and really tightened up the defence as a result. Kavs, a super league player now without full time conditioning, started to batter them.

Overall, a very exciting game, room for improvement in both discipline and creativity, but we showed a lot of guts and determination and it paid off.

MOM Kavanagh.

Great game and Widnes toughed it out for the win, massive credit to Karl and his men, they're a tough quality side.

As for mom, I thought Steve pickersgill was a monster for Widnes today, very tough in defence and good going forward. Paddy also deserves a mention.

A win that was also needed.

very much a mixed bag today.
i thought we were largely crap in every department in the first hour. Saying that, individually they seem to have improved defensively, but far too often as a unit we are easily pulled one way, they had a mile to play with on our left hand side on more occasions than i care to remember.
without a few moments of individual attacking skill we would have never been in touching distance and im surprised we were still in it at the point kevin penny scored (a delicious irony to see him own the next up and coming young threequarter from the wire on that one

)
a few things go against us and we suddenly look mad for it. thats what pulled us through, along with the aforementioned few moments of individual attacking flair. the rest was on the whole aweful today. our kicking game would be funny if it wasnt so tragic.
i would love to be happy joy joy, but if we play like that next week we will concede 50 again.

and your right VM, pickers was well and truly unleashing the fury today

Hulmes no try came from a mile forward pass.

I couldn't see from where I was. Suspected as much, linesman must have seen something.

We started playing with bit of fire and looked a lot better. Were going to have to have that from the off.

I think we all know we need to improve for the game against Leigh, that's 9 league matches unbeaten though so were on the right track. I would rather peak for the play offs than now.


Up the Vikings.

Pickers and varks great today.I,Anson was awful and I like see Mellor and Craven as halfback partners.

We needed a win today and right up to the final hooter we kept going. If every player showed the enthusiasm that Kevin Penny shows every game, we'd be a far more consistent team.

As said by VM, a massive improvement will be needed against Leigh otherwise we'll get blown away again.

Pickers, Varks, Penny, Mellor and Coyle all deserve a mention.

Kavs M.o.M for me.

I thought Flynn was going to annihilate the referee when he didnt get the penalty in the second half.

Sign Mellor,Penny and Varks.

Anyone else think that we had more than 3800 in attendance today? Looked more than the previous 2 home games when we had over 4000 in.

That was the incident which turned it around for us. We're clearly held down, then the ball is stripped and he gives a knock on. I think everyone could feel the same frustration and anger and the crowd lifted and then the players lifted. In a way it saved us.

Don't see how Coyle deserves a mention! Again, lethargically tracking back, slow play the balls, inside ball every time instead of using the wings. I can't see what others see in him and believe me, I want to.

Thought it looked less particularly in the south stand. I predicted 3,500, my brother 3,800. He must have been right. Surprising though. Match meant much more than either of the 4k gates.

Probably a lot of folk on holidays now the schools have finished .

It was the only soddin thing he saw all match though.

Good point hadn't thought of that.

That penalty against Flynn defineately turned the game our way,it lifted the team and the crowd.Batley hardly got into our twenty afterwards.I thought we closed the game out well and prevented any danger of conceding a late winning score.Cracking game and atmosphere.

could the club actually being taking 2/300 off this week's gate and adding it to the Leigh one?

We always struggle at home against them. I couldn't see us scoring until Penny's bit of magic. Pickersgill and Kavanagh played well, and Paddy kept making plenty of those line clearing runs he's good at.

Logan Tomkins injured?

Awful in the first half.

Forwards gave us no platform which is possibly why I'Anson & Coyle were a little ineffective. Magraff was barely making a dent in their line in attack. The disallowed try was a definite forward pass - we were sat in line with it.

The Paddy Flynn incident galvanised the team and crowd. After that Kav and Picks monstered the Batley pack with some brutal treatment. Great game to watch but we were very lethargic and they were more up for it for the most part.

Tough defeat for the Bulldogs - good win for us.

I agree, how many times was Coyle the last man to get back into the defensive line? He's just not quick or fit enough IMO - In SL we'd get killed in and around the ruck if we've got players struggling to get back into the line.

He does make the odd good run, but he was totally ineffective for large parts of today. Seems to me like he usually plays ok when we're on top but when we're in an arm wrestle or under pressure you don't see too much from him.

About the inside balls, IMO I'anson also refused to pass it out wide, instead either trying to go himself or trying the inside ball. In once incident Leuluai was held short by about 4 or 5 defenders out wide on the left - all we had to do was get it out wide to the right. A couple of players had the right idea but as soon as the ball got to I'Anson the attacked was stopped dead in its tracks. In the space of about 2 or 3 minutes he wasted 3 or 4 good chances by making the wrong choices.

Not chas' best game for us, not by a long shot.

Awesome game, proper nail-biter.

I know we were awful at times but we did enough to win against a difficult opponent and if we had played that side earlier on in the season we would have lost it by a considerable margin. We have the knack of winning now and that counts for a lot.
The reaction at the end of the match tells you how much the players from both sides put into it. Batley devastated and out on their feet. Widnes players jubilant and celebrations galore.

On the subject of Coyle... He did find it tough but then he wasn't rotated at all in this game and it was potentially one of the most intensive we've played for a good couple of weeks.
If Tomkins had been available and Coyle had been spelled he probably would have been more available in the last twenty. It shows just how important it is to have 2 hookers interchanging.

Both sets of players were shattered at the end. Handorth and Mennall looked physically tired and I'Anson was struggling towards the end also. I even thought young Mellor looked tired and that dropped pass seemed to be borne out of tiredness and lapsed concentration (not a great pass but still catchable). Batley really moved us around the park and you could see it sapping the players energy in muggy conditions. But absolutely the joke decision by the ref (considering the penalty given against Chaz just three minutes earlier) caused us to wind up again both on and off the pitch.

Also worthy of a mention.. how hilarious was it to see Handforth miss the final kick by about the same margin he was trying to steal from under the ref's nose. Thankfully the Ref was well up to it on that occasion and wasn't go to give him the easy yards so well done for not being conned there. Handforth remonstrating with the ref at the end was delightful to watch also.

Well done Widnes.

Pickersgill made sure the ref knew Handforth was trying pinch a metre or 2.