WIDNES Vikings travel to Leigh on Sunday knowing that a win will see them put a foot back into next year’s Super League.

It is a massive game, and although Vikings have already beaten the Centurions twice this year, those results are now irrelevant.

Having beaten Halifax and Featherstone, a win against Leigh would see them pretty strongly placed for the second or third place – and so avoid the perils of the million pound game.

Defeat would throw them back into that mix - making this the start of a series of do-or-die tussles.

Vikings boss Denis Betts said: “Every single one of this period of games is massive.

“The competition has created that jeopardy.

“The game between us and Leigh allows one of us to more or less secure our place in Super League next year.

“Whoever wins this game gets a foothold in that second or third spot.

“Leigh have had some ups and downs but they are a solid team.

“This is a really important game and our thought processes leading into it for the past three games means that our performance needs to be at a certain level for these kind of games which are do-or-die.

“It does not matter what we we have done so far. Leigh may even use it to their advantage because we got a win at their place with a young team and then Jukesy was pretty upset with their performance here.

“They will be using those two to enhance the fireworks from the start. But we know that - we have to start well, with lots of energy and steel in our team.”

Betts believes the recruitment of Daniel Mortimer and Samisoni Langi have improved the Leigh side as the year has progressed.

And after watching the way they demolished Catalans on their own midden, Leigh are clearly not intent on rolling over after one year in the top flight.

But Betts believes his own side has the qualities and capabilities to more than match them - and expects even the players who won’t be here next year to produce the goods.

“Chris Bridge has been playing well.

“He wants to go out on a high.

“He adds that bit of steel, arrogance and belief - that we are good players.”

Vikings’ approach to this game has been to have a freshen up after the last win.

But now they are ready for Sunday’s challenge – with Betts likely to stick with roughly the same 19, although Chris Dean could come into contention.

“We have trained this week and the devil is in the detail so we understand that there is a clarity of purpose for every individual that plays,” Betts said.