Vikings set for first Magic clash with St Helens
● WIDNES will once again open the Magic Weekend when it returns to Newcastle in 2018.
And it will be brand new ‘Magic’ opponents for the Vikings after they were paired with local rivals St Helens for the game on Saturday, May 19.
It will be the fourth year in a row the event will be played at the home of Newcastle United FC and Widnes have enjoyed mixed fortunes so far.
A fine performance in 2015 saw a Kevin Brown-inspired side thrash Salford 38-16 but they suffered a narrow loss to the same opponents 12 months later.
Last year, the Vikings were well beaten by an in-form Wakefield Trinity side that ran out 34-12 winners.
Widnes threequarter Stefan Marsh is looking forward to returning to the North East to face Saints.
He said: “I’ve really enjoyed playing up at Newcastle. I’ve played there twice but I missed last year because I was injured. I’ve played in Magic at the Etihad as well and when I was first coming through at Wigan I was at the Cardiff one.
“I love playing in front of that big Main Stand at St James’ Park and we normally take quite a few fans there. I think the fans enjoy it and it’s something different for us players too.
“Playing Saints in a local derby is something to look forward too. It should be good.” ● 2018 Viking Stronghold Members who purchase directly through the club will receive an exclusive 50 per cent discount on tickets for the Magic Weekend as part of their Member benefits. Information on the Vikings’ ticket allocation for the event will be announced in due course. MAGIC WEEKEND 2018 SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 19 ● Widnes Vikings v St Helens (3pm) ● Wigan Warriors v Warrington Wolves (5.15pm) ● Castleford Tigers v Leeds Rhinos (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 20 ● Salford Red Devils v Catalans Dragons (1pm) ● Wakefield Trinity v Huddersfield Giants (3.15pm) ● Hull Kingston Rovers v Hull FC (5.30pm)
Saturday, October 19, 1895 WIDNES claimed their first away win in the Northern Union but after the appointed referee failed to turn up hosts Leigh, dissatisfied with the performance of the replacement official, threatened an appeal against the result.
The Weekly News reported that the unexpected, but deserved, win came as the “whole Widnes team played a hard fast game”.
They added there was “much jubilation in the town when the news became known by telegram”.
A try from Jim Johnson, converted by W Barber gave Widnes a 5-0 win. ● WIDNES VIKINGS: On This Day is available now at £9.99 from the Vikings Superstore. ● ●
AUGUST HAVING seen their team finish in bottom place of the Betfred Super League table at the end of the regular season, there was some trepidation amongst Widnes supporters as their side entered The Qualifiers.
With a couple of full-time Championship teams in the mix in the shape of Hull Kingston Rovers and London Broncos, it was clear there was going to be no easy path to staying on the top flight for Denis Betts’s men.
In round one of The Qualifiers, the Vikings hosted local rivals Warrington with both sides keen to get off to a winning start.
For a long time it looked like it would be Widnes who would take the spoils.
First half tries from Jack Buchanan and Joe Mellor with two Lloyd White goals helped the Vikings establish a 12-6 lead and early second half dominance saw White increase the lead by a further two points with a penalty goal.
Just when it looked like they were ready to run away with the game, a midfield error changed the momentum completely.
Widnes’s self-belief seemed to evaporate in the final quarter of the match and tries from Tom Lineham, Dec Patton, Matty Russell and Peta Hiku catapulted the Wolves to a 28-14 victory.
Vikings boss Betts commented: “It was a really tough game until the point where we let them get back into the arm wrestle.
“We need to take opportunities when they present themselves and if we do that then it looks like a different game.
“Overall it was a good contest and one in which we competed throughout but we make two errors and they have punished us.”
The Warrington defeat ratcheted up the pressure for the following week’s game at Halifax.
As it turned out, Widnes produced a thoroughly professional performance to take the spoils 36-12 at The Shay.
The Vikings dominated field position in the first half and if anything could have bettered the 18-0 interval lead they established through converted tries from Chris Bridge, Lloyd White and Charly Runciman.
It looked like being a runaway win when Corey Thompson crossed early in the second half but Fax fought back with two Ben Heaton touchdowns.
Widnes re-established their superiority when Joe Mellor and Danny Craven scored late in the piece.
The gulf in class between a part-time Championship side and full-time Super League outfit was even more apparent seven days later when the Vikings thrashed Featherstone Rovers 58-10 at Halton Stadium.
Rovers had no answer to the Vikings’ fluent attacks as they conceded six first half tries shared equally between Rhys Hanbury, Charly Runciman and Chris Bridge, establishing a 34-4 lead.
Both Hanbury and Bridge went on to complete hat-tricks in the second half with Stefan Marsh