WIDNES VIKINGS 28 NORTH WALES CRUSADERS 14
JAMES GORDON, DCBL Stadium, Sunday

WIDNES eventually prevailed to see off a North Wales side that had taken the lead early in the second half in their first league game of the season.

Featuring eight players who had previously played for Widnes, the Crusaders led 14-12 thanks to Luke Forber’s try four minutes after the break.

But Widnes squeezed them out of the contest and were able to close out the final quarter untroubled as the rain started pouring.

The visitors took the lead on nine minutes when Jordy Gibson’s short side-kick sat up for Ollie Brookes, and when the ball came out loose from the tackle, Gibson pounced and managed to acrobatically finish in the corner.

Widnes built some pressure and after a high tackle by Lloyd Roby halted Nathan Connell, and Jay Chapelhow had got within inches of the line, Jordan Abdull’s pass helped put Jumah Sambou, on loan from Hull KR, in for a debut try.

From the kick-off Sambou then attracted a high tackle from Gibson that saw the Crusaders man sin-binned as the Welsh side got themselves into penalty trouble in a ten-minute spell where they lost the plot.

That was the fifth in a run of penalties and it continued when Abdull was tackled late off the ball, gifting Widnes the field position that ended with Sambou scoring his second try, smartly reacting to a pass that had fell to his feet, kicking on and touching down from close range.

But after returning to a full complement of players, the Crusaders gradually got on top of the contest and in the spells they were able to avoid the referee’s wrath, they looked lively.

Forber was tackled into touch close to the line off a long Dec Patton pass, and then on the stroke of half-time, Gibson’s long pass found Greg Eden to run in at the right corner, as Widnes found themselves in penalty trouble, for 12-10 at half-time.

A Jordan Johnstone knock-on gave the Crusaders an early platform in the second half and they took it off a scrum play, with Lloyd Roby piercing through against his former club to find Forber to finish in the left corner.

They could have extended their lead but for a big tackle by Jack Bibby halting Chris Barratt close to the line.

But that was to prove their last real attack, as Widnes got back on top. A run-around play between Morgan McWhirter and Matty Fozard ended in the latter squeezing over by the side of the posts, and McWhirter nearly created another try when he burst through the middle but couldn’t find a white-shirted man with his pass.

After Adam Lawton had been the victim of a Gibson tip-tackle, he powered in from close range off a Fozard short pass just as the rain appeared from nowhere, giving the Crusaders a ten-point mountain to climb in the final 20.

The Vikings ensured victory with six minutes to play as Jack Owens stepped around his man to find Nathan Connell to score on his home debut.

GAMESTAR: Matty Fozard had the keys to unlock the Crusaders’ defence at the right times.

GAMEBREAKER: Adam Lawton bursting through to give Widnes a ten-point lead as the rain started to pour gave the Crusaders too much to do.

MATCHFACTS

VIKINGS
23 Nathan Connell
29 Jumah Sambou
3 Jack Owens
4 Joe Edge
5 Ryan Ince
6 Joe Lyons
22 Jordan Abdull
8 Dan Murray
9 Jordan Johnstone
21 Jay Chapelhow
11 Sam Wilde
16 Danny Langtree
13 Nick Gregson
Subs (all used)
14 Matty Fozard
18 Morgan McWhirter
19 Adam Lawton
20 Jack Bibby

Tries: Sambou (15, 19), Fozard (53), Lawton (62), Connell (74)
Goals: Abdull 4/5

CRUSADERS
1 Lloyd Roby
2 Ollie Brookes
3 Jayden Hatton
4 Jake Spedding
5 Luke Forber
6 Dec Patton
7 Jordy Gibson
10 Chris Barratt
9 Josh Eaves
16 Mark Ioane
11 Brad England
15 Brad Foster
25 Danny Addy
Subs (all used)
8 Ant Walker
13 Pat Moran
14 Joe Baldwin
23 Greg Eden

Tries: Gibson (9), Eden (40), Forber (44)
Goals: Patton 1/3
Sin bin: Gibson (17) – high tackle

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 6-4, 12-4, 12-10; 12-14, 18-14, 24-14, 28-14

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Vikings: Matty Fozard; Crusaders: Brad England

Penalty count: 12-10
Half-time: 12-10
Referee: Ryan Cox
Attendance: 4,018