Jay is definitely no chicken helping out the Vikings’ cause
WIDNES prop-forward Jay Chapelhow tried his hand at a new job this week – as a waiter at the Widnes branch of Nando’s!
Don’t panic Vikings fans. Having recently enjoyed a good run of games in the first-team, the 20 year-old isn’t planning on jumping ship just yet.
Chapelhow was part of the club’s ‘Nando’s Takover’ with the players manning the grills and serving the customers on Tuesday evening.
Jay, whose twin brother Ted is also part of the Vikings set-up, enjoys the chance to get out and mix with the fans in the locality.
He said: “I love doing stuff like this. Me and my brother are quite keen on the community side of things.
“We come to Nando’s anyway and we get the Stronghold discount, so it’s good to do something for them. We get to mingle with the fans and we enjoy that interaction.”
No doubt the fans were pleased to see Jay too after a string of impressive performances for the first XIII.
Having come through the Vikings’ Academy system, Chapelhow has been earning the praise of head coach Denis Betts after going head-to-head with some of the game’s toughest front-rowers.
So far so good, but more to come.
Chapelhow added: “I think I’ve done alright.
“Playing in Super League has always been a dream of mine and I’m loving the amount of game-time I’m getting.
“I feel as though the past four games have been great for my development and I just want to keep playing. It’s always going to be a physical battle and I’ve played against Hull, Wigan and Warrington who are all top sides.
“Playing against the likes of Ashton Sims and Taulima Tautai is bound to be physical and I’m just enjoying it.
“I played some games for Whitehaven in the Championship last year and that’s really physical too.
“The difference in Super League is it’s a lot faster and more demanding.
“You have to work that much harder and keep turning up for your mates.
“If you don’t get off your line in Super League you get caught out – you have to be on your game all the time.”
Those sentiments certainly apply to this Sunday’s game against St Helens.
Chapelhow is relishing the prospect of another big game against one of the Vikings’ local rivals.
He said: “They’ve got top quality forwards like Walmsley and Amor so to play against them can only benefit me as a player.
“I’m not going to rollover for them; it’s a challenge I’m going to take head on.
“I think we’ll do well. Even though we can’t reach the play-offs we still want to show pride in the jersey and show the fans that we want to be a Top 4 team in the future. We showed against Wigan a couple of weeks ago we can beat the top sides.
“Everyone’s still playing for spots even if it’s for next season.
“People say there’s nothing to play for but as a club we think there’s loads to play for. We’re not taking anything lightly – we want to win.”