WIDNES coach Denis Betts believes his side is entering a crucial period of the season over the next couple of weeks.

Following on from their convincing 38-16 Magic Weekend win over Salford Red Devils on Saturday, the Vikings play host to Hull tomorrow (Wednesday) night and then visit East Yorkshire to play Hull KR a week on Sunday.

Betts is looking for his men to cement their place in the First Utility Super League’s top eight and progress from there.

Unusually, he also allowed himself the luxury of speculating on where his side might now be if they had closed out a couple more winnable games this term.

He said “We’re now running into the team just below us and the team just below them.

“If we can take points off both those teams, then it can take away the advantage they have of their game in hand.

“There are two games we look back on as a coaching team; the St Helens game at home where we were in control and we end up losing, and the Warrington away game where we lost in the last few seconds.

“Those four points would put us fourth in the table. That’s how close the margins are at this moment in time.

“Then everybody would be talking about us in a completely different way again.

“It’s been a really tight season. Wakefield have dropped away but everybody else is competing hard.

“On their day, everybody thinks they can beat everybody else.”