Bridge aims to drive forward
Saturday, December 8, 1979 THE Lancashire Cup was retained in an utterly convincing display that saw battling Workington despatched 11-0 in an entertaining game played at The Willows in Salford.
Playing with typical pace, slick passing and movement, Widnes were never in trouble and eased ahead in the 12th minute when Reg Bowden put Dave Moran over.
Four minutes before the break, Mick Adams collected a Dave Eckersley drop-goal attempt as it rebounded from a post to score, with Mick Burke converting both efforts for a 10-0 interval lead.
Amazingly the only addition to the score after the break came from a Keith Elwell drop-goal as the trophy came to Widnes for the sixth time. ● WIDNES VIKINGS: On This Day is available priced at £9.99 from the Vikings Superstore. ●
IF the rumours surrounding skipper Kevin Brown’s departure prove to be true, the experienced Chris Bridge could become a more pivotal figure for Widnes Vikings in 2017.
Having played his rugby at centre last season, Bridge would surely be a candidate to take on more of a playmaking role if Brown is no longer there.
However, Bridge’s immediate aim is to get more games under his belt after an injury-hit 2016 campaign saw him make just 15 appearances.
He said: “It was really frustrating for me as I thought I had played really well at the start of the year. I was forming a good partnership with Corey (Thompson) and Joe (Mellor) on our side and then I had a problem with my neck which meant I was out for a few games and then days before the Warrington game I was struggling to walk.
“Instead of missing the game, I tried to tough it out and play anyway when with hindsight I should have listened to my body and sat it out.
“When I’ve been scanned, it was soon realised that I’ve got an extra muscle in my calf that only a few people have and that’s what was rubbing against my achilles which was giving me the pain.
“It was just one of those things but I’m just hoping I can get a good run of games next year.”
Widnes enjoyed their best finish in Super League last season as they claimed seventh spot.
However, with the help of a good pre-season, which includes a training camp in the Lake District, Bridge is hopeful they can do even better in the forthcoming campaign.
He added: “It’s good to be back in and training again. The main thing for me is being back around the boys again after so long out.
“Pre-season is usually cold and rainy throughout and you know it’s going to be tough.
“It’s dark when you come into training in the morning and then it’s dark when you are leaving at night. But it’s important you put the hard work in now to see the benefits during the season and hopefully that’s what we’ll see next year.
“All I know about the trip is that we are heading up to the Lakes.
“We spoke about it last week and they said we’re going to be put in a place that we’re not going to like! You have to tough it out and get through it.
“Doing things like this as a team and being flogged in this manner makes you mentally strong and hopefully it will be good for the team and help us start this year in the same way that we did last.
“As a club and as professional players, you want to improve on what you did the year before. So with that in our mindset, we want to push this club to the next level and only we can do that.
“We will be doing everything that we can, and working even harder than before, to do just that and I believe it’s a realistic target.
“Personally, all I’m looking for- ward to doing in 2017 is playing regular rugby. The last two years have been horrible personally with injuries and what not, so I’m just looking forward to playing again and making sure my body is right so I can run out with the lads on a weekly basis.”
Meanwhile, with one eye on life after rugby, Bridge has been using his spare time to qualify as an HGV Class One driver with the club’s assistance.
He stated: “I was really happy to pass and the club have been brilliant with me in sorting it out.
“They’ve been really accommodating in helping me – the likes of Denis (Betts) and Tim (Holmes) – and I can’t thank them enough for being helpful on it. I know that preparing for life after rugby is important, and I’m not getting any younger in terms of a rugby league player, so that will probably be the next stage for me when I do call it a day.
“It’s nice to have something in the bank for when I hang up my boots.”