Vikings make case for defence (From Runcorn and Widnes World)

Vikings make case for defence

3:02pm Wednesday 18th August 2010 in

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Widnes Vikings 30 Sheffield Eagles 10.

WIDNES produced one of their best defensive performances of the season to down play-off rivals Eagles at Stobart Stadium Halton.

Having gone in to the interval with just a 12-4 half-time lead, the Vikings were subjected to a second half barrage by their Yorkshire opponents.

But produced some heroic defence to concede just one further try.

The margin of victory was sufficient to deny the Eagles a bonus point and ensure Widnes leap-frogged Mark Aston’s men into fifth place in the Co-operative Championship table.

Widnes dominated the opening exchanges but struggled to find the killer touch to prise open the visitors defence.

It eventually came when an Anthony Thackeray grubber-kick was fumbled in-goal by Sheffield winger Tim Bergin and Dean Gaskell pounced to score.

Danny Craven goaled despite a disagreement between the touch judges over whether his conversion had actually gone between the uprights.

It became 12-0 when a grubber kick to the Eagles in-goal ricocheted off a post leaving stand-off Chris Gerrard the simple task of touching down for another six-pointer.

Having had very little in the way of possession, the Eagles struck back when Bergin made amends for an earlier error having been set free by centre Tangi Ropati.

Perhaps buoyed by being just eight points adrift, the visitors came out strongly in the second period.

But they were hit by a sucker punch on 43 minutes when Thackeray snatched a superb interception and raced eight metres to score for the Vikings.

Sheffield pulled six points back on the hour when concerted pressure saw full back Misi Taulapapa slide over despite the attention of a couple of Vikings defenders to make it 18-10.

Yet more pressure was put on the Widnes line but time and again Paul Cullen’s men snuffed the danger out.

Eventually, the Vikings managed to gain a foothold in enemy territory and Thackeray went for glory from close range.

He lost the ball on the line in the tackle but full back Craven was there to pick up the pieces and six points for his trouble.

Credit to the Eagles they never gave in and still created scoring chances though they could not convert them into points.

With three minutes remaining, Gerrard ending the argument when he sneaked over from close range with Craven’s fifth goal rounding things off.

Widnes: Craven (1t,5g); Gaskell (1t), Gardner, Varkulis, Flynn; Gerrard (2t), Thackeray (1t); Gannon, Smith, Heckenberg, Doran, Haggerty, Kavanagh. Subs: Houghton, Pickersgill, Kelly, Coyle.