Perfect start for Wids as they demolish Fleetwood
WIDNES................................................ 57 FLEETWOOD....................................... 21 WIDNES got their new ADM Premier League season off to the best of starts on Saturday, as they ran in a total of eight tries to eventually overrun newcomers Fleetwood at Heath Road.
As last season’s champions, the red-and-blacks had a long and proud unbeaten run to defend, and they showed that they were determined not to let this one slip.
There was an early exchange of penalties mixed in with one or two handling errors before Widnes fullback Andy Owens kicked his side in front with a three pointer after just five minutes.
Fleetwood looked lively on occasions in those opening exchanges, but too often were found guilty of making several unforced errors and conceding far too many penalties, one of which contributed to a try after some quick thinking from Justin Winstanley who crashed over from close range with Owens again adding the extras.
Shortly afterwards, another Fleetwood mistake saw some smart Wids approach work pay further dividends which saw Gavin Hatton pop up for a try on the opposite flank.
A touchline conversion from Andy Owens meant the Wids were scoring at a rate of a point a minute and the signs weren’t looking good for the league newcomers.
Almost immediately though, a well worked move in midfield, saw Fleetwood stand-off Tom Evans slice his way through a static Wids defence and race home from 60 metres for a superb try which he also converted to make it 17-7.
Despite the try, the self-inflicted Fleetwood errors continued, and normal service on the scoreboard was soon restored as further smart, quick handling, got centre Liam Lawton in for another Wids try.
Just five minutes before the break a bout of fisticuffs broke out, and when order was restored, the officials brandished a red card to dismiss a player from each side.
Despite the urgent reshuffle, Widnes were able to respond the quickest, and Jamie Patient was able to time his run to perfection as he collected Liam Lawton’s short pass to race over untouched for another valuable try.
Andy Owens added the easy conversion which gave his side a 29-7 half time lead.
If Fleetwood had ambitions to rescue something from this game, then they really needed to be the next team on the score sheet. And, for a while at least they blasted away at the Widnes line looking for a way through.
However, the Wids were in no mood to simply roll over, and, after absorbing plenty of pressure through some excellent scrambling defence, they finally broke free of their defensive shackles which allowed Gavin Hatton to shrug off a couple of wouldbe tacklers before racing in behind the posts for his second try.
Owens conversion made it 36-7, and it wasn’t long before Tom O’Neill blasted his way over from 20 metres for yet another converted try.
With the floodgates threatening to open, a speculative Gavin Hatton kick wasn’t dealt with effectively by the Fleetwood defence, which allowed Andy Owens to hack the ball on before touching the ball down for another try which he also converted to bring up the half-century of points.
After that, though, much of the remainder of the game all went a bit scrappy.
Firstly, Mike Jones left the field with a knock, before Fleetwood were awarded a penalty try much to the dismay of a Wids player who voiced his concerns to the official a little too loudly and found himself invited to spend the next 10 minutes on the sideline.
Next up was another long range kick and chase from Jamie Patient which saw that man Owens following up before showing a clean pair of heels to calmly pick up and score his second try which he also converted.
The last word, though, was saved for the visitors, who responded with a late, well worked try from Stephen Woodburne and conversion from Tom Evans before proceedings were finally brought to a close.
Head coach Andy McIntosh said afterwards: “I was very pleased with the lad’s commitment today. Fleetwood were a bit of an unknown quantity today but we worked hard, played out our game plan and played some really good rugby.
“It was a great start for us, but it is a long season and it will be a bit different and a lot tighter next week when we welcome Oldham.”
In the other senior fixture, the Seconds suffered a heavy home defeat against Altrincham Kersal who remain unbeaten after two rounds of the competition.
Next up for the Wids is another home game, this time against highflying Oldham who pushed the Heath Roaders all the way last season and look likely to do the same again this term following their opening day victory.
The Lancashire outfit finished last season in second place having lost just three games – two of those, ironically, against the red-and-blacks who commenced their magnificent long unbeaten run with that narrow win at Manor Park.
Not that any of that counts for very much, and Oldham would love nothing more than to seek out revenge in their opponents own back yard.
The other senior games at the weekend will see the Seconds travel to take on Crewe & Nantwich, whilst the Thirds are also on the road at Northwich.
All games kick off at 3pm. ●