Widnes Vikings: Head coach Paul Cullen sees team pay the penalty in Challenge Cup exit against Halifax at The Shay

Apr 6 2009 by Paul Glynn, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

WIDNES head coach Paul Cullen admits Halifax appear to have the edge over his side following Vikings’ 20-16 Carnegie Challenge Cup fourth-round defeat at The Shay on Friday.

Speaking after the game, Cullen said: “We’ve had two really tough games (against Halifax).

“It was very competitive, very tough and exactly what we expected.

“We are bitterly disappointed, as we completed our sets well, we were patient and tried to force a break but unfortunately we were just one play off.”

He added: “We didn’t force any ridiculous passes but conceded far too many cheap and needless penalties and had we not given any one of them away, we might have got into a position to win the game.”

Vikings took the lead courtesy of a penalty from Richard Fletcher, who returned to the second row after injury.

Loz Wildbore, replacing Scott Yates back at full-back, then failed to deal with a Fax grubber – allowing Ben Black to open the home side’s scoring.

Widnes’ reply came in the form of a touchdown from big Jim Gannon after good work from Mark Smith.

Sub Gavin Dodd added the extras.

Wildbore must have thought he had atoned for his earlier error by scoring himself, following an excellent run from winger Paddy Flynn – only to find that the referee had disallowed the score for a forward pass.

Mick Govin levelled the tie immediately after the break with a penalty, before Anthony Thackeray waltzed through to give Widnes the lead once more.

A Shad Royston try and Govin conversion dragged Fax back into the game before a Gavin Dodd penalty swung the advantage in Widnes’s direction again.

However, Mark Roberts went over from close range for the home side, allowing Govin to complete the scoring with his fourth successful kick.

Halifax: Royston; Greenwood, Patterson, Haley, Worrincy; Beswick, Black; Cherryholme, Govin, Wrench, Larder, Roberts, Smith. Subs: Penkywicz, Wilson, Barker, Watone.

Tries: Black, Royston, Roberts.

Goals: Govin 4/4.

Widnes: Wildbore; Flynn, Grady, Varkulis, Gaskell; Thackeray, Webster; Ostick, Smith, Gannon, Doran, Fletcher, Duffy. Subs: Thompson, Dodd, Kavanagh, Simm

Tries: Gannon, Thackeray.

Goals: Fletcher 1/1, Dodd 3/3.