While neither side could improve their league position as a result of the final round eighteen championship match as fifth placed Bradford Bulls travelled over the Pennines on a Monday evening to take on a Widnes Vikings side currently in eighth place and needing the win to remain in contention for a play-off place.
It was a close game when the two sides met back in February, the Bulls victorious on that occasion by just two points with a scoreline of 14-12. A Bulls win would get them within a league point of the two sides above them while a win for Widnes would keep their hopes alive and put them two points behind London Broncos.
The Bulls were string favourites with the bookies, Widnes with a fourteen-point start on the coupon.
A catastrophic mix-up un the Bulls defence on three allowed Matty Fozard to pick up a loose ball, step past his own man and stoop to ground as the Bulls defenders failed to dive on the ball inside their own ten. Tom Gilmore added the conversion for 6-0.
On seven the Bulls opened their account, Chester Butler taking a delightful Lee Gaskell pass and running the angle to score in the left corner. Dec Patton converted from the touchline to level the scores at 6-6.
On fifteen Kieran Gill won the race to dot down a Patton grubber, grounding with one hand to put his side into the lead. Patton hit his target with the conversion, the Bulls settling into the game.
But Widnes weren’t going to give the game up easily as Kieran Dixon went outside the Bulls defenders to score in the corner. Joe Edge kicked the touchline conversion and again the sides were all square. The game developing into a free-scoring humdinger.
Some sloppy attacking errors from the Bulls were keeping Widnes in the game.
A high tackle by Gaskell on Joe Lyons under the shadow of the sticks, saw the Bulls playmaker sin-binned and allowed Edge to kick the penalty goal to move his side into a two-point lead going into the interval.
Both sides missed opportunities at the start of the second half. The first points of the half went to the Bulls who kicked a penalty goal from the boot of Patton after Widnes were offside. But the response from Widnes was immediate after the dropped the kick off and Widnes went from the back of the scrum with Lyons feeding Dixon to cross in the corner. Edge pushed his conversion attempt across the face of the goal.
A push at the play the ball when in possession on their own twenty cost the Bulls another two points as Edge added a penalty goal for 20-14.
Ben Blackmore squandered a gilt-edged chance on sixty-one when he failed to ground a kick to the corner, knocking on in the process and on sixty-three minutes it got worse for Gilmore as he was under no pressure when he added a drop goal and extended the lead to seven points.
Widnes secured the points, their first win in six, when Adam Lawton crashed over under the sticks despite the attention of three tacklers. Edge was again on target, the lead now thirteen points.
To add insult to the Bulls injury, Ollie Brookes took a floated Gilmore pass to go outside his tackler and slide over by the right corner flag. Edge couldn’t add the extras, but it didn’t matter, it was a big win for Widnes which keeps their play-off hopes alive and puts a spanner in the works for the Bulls play-off aspirations. The Bulls were undoubtedly poor, but this was a good Vikings team performance and they were more than worth their win.
Widnes Vikings: Edge (4G), Dixon (2T), Roberts, Fleming, Brookes (T), Lyons, Gilmore (G, DG), Field, Fozard (T), Lawton (T), Wilde, Grady, Davies. Subs: Farnworth, Forber, Walker, Tilleke. 18th Man: Holroyd.
Bradford Bulls: Wynne, Blackmore, Arundel, Gill (T), Taufua, Gaskell (SB on 39), Patton (3G), Matongo, Lilley, Lawrence, Butler (T), Wallace, Foster. Subs: Baitieri, Scurr, Appo, Segeyaro. 18th Man: Jowitt.
Half-Time: 14-12.
Full-Time: 31-14.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 6-4, 6-6, 6-10, 6-12, 10-12, 12-12, (SB), 14-12 : HT: 14-14, 18-14, 20-14, 21-14, 25-14, 27-14, 31-14 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Widnes – Square – Bradford – Square – Widnes – Square - Widnes.
Referee: James Vella.
