WIDNES Wild featured two new recruits as they maintained their winning form in front of a huge crowd.

On a day when former Deeside stars Aled Roberts and Jordan Owen, who has also represented Blackburn and Manchester, were introduced as new recruits, Wild established a three-goal lead but then proceeded to make life difficult for themselves.

Wild will have to be at their best to take points at Nottingham Lions on Sunday, face off 7.45pm, but head coach Mark Gillingham was pleased to get the result.

“I don't think we were at our best, and we made some mistakes at times which could have been costly had we not been able to find our scoring touch in the Blackburn end of the ice,” he said.

“Those are things we need to iron out. We have to take wins whenever we can though, not matter what manner we find them in. It was crucial for us to carry over the run of results we've been experiencing over the past few weeks, and we found a way to do that.

“Blackburn are probably the hardest working team in the league, so you're under pressure for 60 minutes whenever you play them, and to score eight goals is an achievement.

“It will probably be a more open game at Nottingham where we can go back to our own, more flowing style of play, so we need to keep the momentum shifting in our favour."

Wild got off to a sensational start when recent signing and ‘most valuable player’ award winner Geoff Wigglesworth forced the puck past Nick Saxton after 37 seconds.

Constant Widnes pressure was rewarded when the home side brought the crowd to their feet with a second goal in the ninth minute, Bobby Caunce on hand to fire home a rebound after good passing from the hard-working Tom Ratcliffe and Josh Grocutt.

The previous week's hat-trick hero Shaun Dippnall was next on the score sheet a minute later, firing home from a searching Caunce pass.

Blackburn reduced the arrears within seconds and added another in the second period.

Caunce took a Ratcliffe pass to restore a two-goal lead and within three minutes playmaker Ben Brown smashed home from a Dippnall pass on a power play.

Errors in defence led to Blackburn coming back with two well taken strikes inside two minutes but Wigglesworth scored a vital 44th minute goal.

Back came Blackburn in the 48th minute but patience in passing led to Wigglesworth completing his hat trick, while Ken Armstrong took a Caunce pass to shoot between the netminder’s legs for the final goal.