We needed this win, insists Denis Betts

Widnes Vikings coach Denis Betts watched his side win their second match in three games to move further away from the bottom four and stressed that his team needed it.

The Vikings won 38-28 at Castleford to calm fears of being dragged into the mix for the bottom four ahead of the split for the Super 8s in a scrappy affair.

But Betts insisted that it was a vital win in the context of their season, saying that they now don’t have to worry about what other teams are doing elsewhere.

“We needed this win,” he said.

“We looked at the six games left and we talked about looking up – it’s about winning games and if we can win one or two more we can climb the table again a little.

“There’s a couple of sides within striking distance if they get some wins still, but we’re not relying on them losing now.

“We weren’t in the eight last year; we were close but we didn’t make it and this year, we haven’t been out of the top eight which is fantastic.

“We started well and we’ve had a bit of luck along the way, but this is such a tough place to come and win.”