Widnes earn healthy win over the Medics
WIDNES..................................................... 38 MANCHESTER MEDICS ........................ 22 FTER the disappointment of what happened in their previous outing, this result was a real shot in the arm for Lee McDermott’s outfit as they secured a welcome bonus point victory over Manchester Medics at Heath Road on Saturday afternoon.
And, whilst it was a decent return for the home side, the loss will have been a bitter pill to swallow for the Medics, who had looked good value early on, and again in the second half, when they almost mounted a terrific comeback after looking like they could quite easily have folded in the final quarter.
The weather for the game was cold and gloomy overhead, but with no wind to speak of and a dry, firm pitch underfoot, the conditions despite being the start of winter, were almost ideal for rugby.
Both sides were desperate to get over the finishing line in this game.
The Medics were chasing only their third win of the season, whilst Widnes just needed to claim a victory of any sort in an effort to exorcise the demons from their previous outing and get their show back on the road as soon as possible.
The Medics got the game underway but were soon back in possession of the football, and when they were awarded a second penalty in as many minutes, stand-off Tom Jefferson was on hand to boot his side into the lead.
Dave Welsh – who was again excellent throughout – then earned Widnes some decent field position with an intelligent touch-finder, and when the ball was quickly spread through several pairs of hands, Kevin Leadbetter was there to score the try which he also converted.
Despite their 7-3 advantage, Widnes looked as though they were struggling to develop any sort of real fluency in their play, and when they conceded a trio of penalties in their own quarter, the Med-
A● ics did not need asking again as propforward James Mallon crashed in for a try.
With the conversion also going over, Manchester were back in the lead again.
Although, this was most certainly not what the doctor ordered, it wasn’t long before Kevin Leadbetter was able to strike over a long range penalty from straight in front to make it all square again at 10-10.
The home side then managed to survive going a man down into the sin-bin, before responding in the best way possible, as they cut loose from long-range.
Half a dozen players and some silky handling skills were involved in a move covering some 75 metres before standoff Chris Schofield reached over for a superb try goaled in style from touch by captain Kevin Leadbetter.
They could even have added to their tally as the half drew to a close when debutant Dave Murphy sent Ryan Millington away, but the centre was tackled into touch near the corner flag.
Widnes’s new-found enthusiasm con- tinued at the start of the second half although they were still prone to over elaborating, making mistakes, and generally letting their opponents off the hook instead of playing patient and smart.
Things did improve, though, shortly afterwards, as more silky skills sent inform wing man Antony Leadbetter stepping inside for another trademark try.
Not to be outdone, brother Kevin then converted the effort beautifully from the touchline to make the score 24-10.
To their credit, the Medics replied immediately with another try from close-range to narrow the deficit.
Suffering something of a crisis of confidence, Widnes wobbled again, and when they lost yet another player into the sin-bin, Manchester were alert enough to respond and take full advantage with a converted try which reduced the difference on the scoreboard now to two points with plenty of time still to go.
Widnes did manage to repel that particular danger, and when it was the Medics’ turn to fall foul of the official and lose a man to a yellow card, Widnes were able to counter with a quickly-taken tap penalty which allowed Kevin Leadbetter to cross for a try before calmly slotting over yet another touchline conversion which settled the home spectators’ nerves.
That was then followed by a lengthy injury delay to Tom O’Neill who then had to leave the field on a stretcher.
Upon the resumption, the home side almost scored again when a kick downfield just went out of play as Antony Leadbetter swooped to collect and race clear for the line.
With time running out and the play in the right area of the field now, the home side were to have the final word as the excellent Chris Schofield showed both pace and strength to power his way over for the final try of the afternoon which, once again, Kevin Leadbetter was able to convert and wrap up a vital victory.
Head coach Lee McDermott was obviously delighted to see his side get back to winning ways.
“I was happy with the victory and we scored some good tries, but we are all disappointed to see the loss of Tom O’Neill through injury who has been in great form.” ● AFTER avoiding a potential banana skin, Lee McDermott’s outfit finally have a chance of securing back-to-back wins for the first time since September, when they take on basement side Oswestry at Heath Road this Saturday afternoon.
The Shropshire outfit have found the going tough following their promotion last term. They are without a win all season and currently prop up the rest of the table. They have also suffered further with a five point penalty deduction from the League after failing to fulfil a fixture caused by a temporary front-row crisis.
Widnes already have a big win under their belt against the men from Granville Park after going there earlier in the season and coming away with a 54-13 victory, but a win of any sort for the Heath Road outfit would be a welcome tonic leading up the half-term break. The game kicks-off at 2.15pm.