WIDNES produced their best performance for a while before going down 31-24 to Hull at the KCOM Stadium.

Midway through the second half, the Vikings held a 24-22 lead but Hull came home strong to take the spoils.

Vikings interim coach Francis Cummins once again shuffled his deck with Rhys Hanbury returning at fullback, Patrick Ah Van on the left wing and Academy winger Owen Buckley awarded a Super League debut on the right.

Danny Craven was given the nod at stand-off alongside Joe Mellor in the halves.

Hull opened the scoring on six minutes when Albert Kelly pounced after Ah Van had spilled a bomb behind ho=is iwn tryline. Jake Connor converted to make it 6-0.

FC winger Bureta Faraimo made a 70 metre break fro the home side but Hanbury tracked back to snuff out the danger.

Just when it seemed we had an even contest on our hands, errors crept into Widnes’s game and gifted Hull the position to score two more tries.

Winger Hakim Miloudi scored the first from an overlap on the left and young half-back Liam Harris crossed for a six-pointer direct from a scrum showing a good turn of pace from 30 metres out.

Credit to the Vikings, they came back strongly in the last ten minutes of the half.

The lively Mellor broke through and fed Charly Runciman who crossed wide on the left with Krisnan Inu adding the extras.

With the last play of the first half, Buckley rose high above his opposite number to pluck a Mellor kick out of the air and he made the angle easy for Inu to make it 16-12.

The Vikings started the second half well and took the lead when Craven’s short ball allowed Sam Wilde to stretch over with Inu’s goal giving his side an 18-16 lead.

The advantage didn’t last long as Craven’s cross kick landed in the hands of a Hull player who handed on to centre Carlos Tuimavave who went 70 metres to score a converted try for the home side.

On 58 minutes, a sharp pass from dummy-half by Danny Walker allowed Jay Chapelhow to cross by the posts and restore the Vikings lead at 24-22.

Connor levelled things up with a 40-metre penalty goal and it was all to play for with 15 minutes remaining.

The same player nudged his side in front with a 35 metre drop-goal and Faraimo crossed in the corner from an Kelly bullet pass. Connor’s superb conversion gave his side a seven point cushion and ultimately it proved enough.

Hull: Shaul; Faraimo, Connor, Tuimavave, Miloudi; Kelly, Harris; Taylor, Houghton, Paea, Manu, Minichiello, Hadley. Subs: Washbrrok, Fash, Logan, Matongo.

Widnes: Ashall-Bott; Ince, Inu, Runciman, Marsh; Mellor, Gilmore; J Chapelhow, Heremaia, Dudson, Whitley, Hauraki, Gerrard. Subs: Leuluai, Wilde, D Walker, T Chapelhow.

Half-time: 16-12 Referee: Mr G Dolan Attendance: 10,420