Powell warns Castleford that times have changed after ‘nervous’ win

Daryl Powell has urged Castleford Tigers supporters to lower their expectations after his team produced a nervy display in their 13-12 victory over Widnes Vikings.

Last season’s runners-up got their Betfred Super League season up and running after suffering a heavy defeat at St Helens in round one but they were well short of their best against the spirited Vikings.

After they won the League Leaders’ Shield at a canter and racked up almost 1,000 points in 2017, Powell believes the two-week break for the World Club Challenge will give his team the chance to relax. “We needed to win and, in some ways, that’s why we looked nervous at times,” he said. “I’m really pleased with the two points and I’m not a big fan of the World Club Challenge stopping the season by a week but, at the moment, it’ll give us a bit of breathing space.

“The whole place is a bit nervous about us and that doesn’t help, either. I’m not blaming anyone for that. But I think everybody expects us to be on this journey of winning every week and this is a different journey, a different season.

“We’re going to have to find something else and today we did. We’re not all-singing, all-dancing – the conditions are tough. We’re still trying to find our fluency.

“It’s not going to be like it was last year.

“We just need to relax a little bit and I’d like to think our speccies [fans] will relax a little bit and give us a little bit of time in the knowledge that we’re working our backsides off to be as good as we can be.”

Widnes pair Matt Whitley and Jay Chapelhow cancelled out tries from Greg Minikin and Jy Hitchcox but Luke Gale’s drop goal with the score 12-6 proved the difference.

Asked if Widnes deserved a draw, head coach Denis Betts said: “I think a win would have been the right result.”