Final chance for vikings

Sep 27 2007 by Dave Bettley, Widnes Weekly News

WIDNES boss Steve McCormack knows his side is drinking in the last-chance saloon but he and his players remain confident they can still make the Co-operative National League Grand Final the long way round.

McCormack, who has led teams to three consecutive Finals, insists everybody at the club is aware of the stakes and what is at risk after they were dumped into the Grand Final Eliminator clash with Halifax this evening.

This resulted from losing at Castleford Tigers 22-8 at The Jungle last week.

‘There is pressure on us to reach the final,’ McCormack stressed.

‘According to the final league table we know we will be seen as favourites in this game.

‘We know what we have to do and we are not even thinking about facing Castleford yet as Halifax are a very good team and can be very dangerous on their day.’

McCormack watched Halifax pull off a shock victory over his old club Whitehaven to earn the right to face the Vikings at Halton Stadium.

And the former NL1 coach-of-the-year admitted he was ‘extremely impressed’ with Fax – the only other side, along with the Tigers, to have defeated Widnes in the league this season..

He said: ‘It was a really good game and Halifax did really well to beat them.

‘In fact it’s the first time they have ever beaten Whitehaven in the play-offs in the four times they have played them.

‘That means that they totally deserve their chance. We will be prepared though and we have assessed what went on last week and have moved on.

‘We obviously want another crack at Cas but first we have to get past Halifax and that is what we intend to do.’

‘Play-off football is about what happens on the day. The focus is totally on Halifax tonight and we need to play well to beat them as they have got some talented players who are playing well.’

McCormack confirmed talented rookie prop forward Adam Sidlow will replace Aaron Summers, who is definitely out with a pulled calf muscle.

Sidlow, who has been training with the first-team squad all year, even when on loan at Workington, will be on the bench. Joel Penny is also back in contention after missing last week’s loss.

But it is unclear whether Penny will be included or if McCormack may take a gamble on Richard Myler at scrum-half.