A DEPLETED Widnes side ended the season with a 22-6 defeat to local rivals Warrington Wolves at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Widnes coach Denis Betts made a host of changes from the previous week's 36-8 loss to Wakefield.

There was an emphasis on youth with Ed Chamberlain and Tom Armstrong getting a run in the threequarters, Brad Walker starting in the halves with the Chapelhow twins and Danny Walker also featuring in the forwards.

A knock on from by Gil Dudson from the first carry of the game put the Vikings under pressure and Warrington took advantage as Kevin Brown's cut-out pass sent winger Matty Russell over at the right corner to make it 4-0.

Opposite winger Tom Lineham thought he'd increased the Wolves lead from a Dec Patton kick but the video referee ruled offside.

Widnes began to gradually find their feet and exerted some pressure of their own.

It paid off on 16 minutes when livewire Joe Mellor skipped through the onrushing home defence on last tackle for a fine solo try.

Stefan Marsh's conversion made it 6-4 and Widnes continued to enjoy the better of things as Armstrong went close but was hauled down short.

With both side's struggling for inspiration, the rest of the half passed without addition to the scoreboard.

Widnes were on the attack early in the second half but both Hep Cahill and Tom Olbison couldn't quite force their way over the whitewash.

As often happens, the opposition immediately went up the other and scored when Peta Hiku plucked a Patton kick out of the air before falling over the line with Stefan Ratchford adding the extras to give Warrington a 10-6 advantage.

On 59 minutes an inventive reverse kick from Patton completely wrong-footed the Widnes defence allowing ex-Viking Brown to ground the ball under the posts.

And just four minutes later, quick hands to the right freed Russell who went in for his second score with Ratchford's extras making it 22-6.

The Vikings attempts to force their way back into the contest foundered on the back of handling errors.

Th final stages petered out with just time for a minor scuffle which hopefully won't attract the attention of the RFL's disciplinary panel.

Warrington: Ratchford; Russell, Hiku, Atkins, Lineham; Patton, Brown; Cooper, Clark, Sims, Jullien, Hughes, Philbin. Subs: G King, Savelio, Currie, Smith.

Widnes: Thompson; Armstrong, Chamberlain, Runciman, Marsh; Mellor, B Walker; J Chapelhow, Johnstone, Dudson, Whitley, Olbison, Cahill. Subs: Gerrard, Burke, D Walker, T Chapelhow.

Half-Time: 4-6 Referee: Mr R Hicks