Grogan gets a brace to claim the points
● an injury, leading to a lengthy stoppage with one of the assistant referees taking over as referee after a spectator was found to run the line.
The delay led to both sides resuming lacking sharpness, with the remainder of the half feeling a bit flat.
Neither side particularly threatened, but Widnes did end the half strongly with Buckley and Ben Hodkinson spurning half-decent chances.
The Whites carried their momentum into the second half.
James Steele curled a free-kick from a good position just over, while Hodkinson engineered a decent opening, cutting inside from the left only to be denied by Hakan Burton’s outstretched boot.
Grogan was introduced on the hour-mark in place of Conor Ready in a change that eventually proved pivotal, and the Whites were soon level.
Roberts floated a delicious corner into the area with the towering Shaw rising highest to power a header home to equalise.
That handed the impetus to the Whites. The sloping hill at Colne’s Holt House home left Steve Cunningham’s penned in and Widnes duly capitalised with a second 14 minutes from time.
Steele teed up Roberts to whip a venomous cross towards the penalty spot, where Grogan was on hand to guide a magnificent glancing header into the bottom corner, with keeper Burton well-beaten.
Grogan had only scored six goals in 58 appearances for Widnes since his November 2017 debut, and the former Marine man was in dreamland as he found the net for a second time on the 82-minute mark.
Colne were powerless to stop Widnes’s aerial threat, with Shaw again rising highest to help a Buckley freekick on, with Grogan left unmarked to turn home from close range.
It seemed the Whites would cruise to an important victory, but Colne were afforded a lifeline when they awarded a penalty six minutes from time which substitute Chippendale converted despite his spot-kick squirming home after Wheeler tipped the ball on to the post.
That set up a tense finish, but Colne were reduced to 10-men when substitute Knox pushed Herbert in the face, shown a straight red card for violent conduct.
Into stoppage time, Colne launched a late onslaught but barely summoned a chance with the immense Shaw and Widnes backline routinely tidying up defensively to hold on for an impressive three points.