Widnes Vikings will gear up for some Friday night rugby as they welcome Oldham to the DCBL Stadium in Round 18 of the Betfred Championship (7:30pm kick-off).
Allan Coleman’s side extended their winning run to nine games following last weekend’s 48-0 victory away at Hunslet – a result that meant the Vikings haven’t conceded a point in any of their last three games.
They will be hoping to utilise their momentum ahead of Friday night’s mouth-watering clash against Oldham. The Roughyeds sit two points above Widnes in fourth place, after losing just two of their 14 outings in the league so far.
🎟️ Ticket information
Tickets for Friday’s game are available here.
Supporters can also pick up their tickets on Friday at the Vikings club shop, which will be open from 12pm until kick-off at 7:30pm.
📰 Squad news
Widnes Vikings head coach Allan Coleman has named his 21-man squad ahead of Friday night’s return to action.
There is just one change to the 21-man squad following last weekend’s victory as Jack Houghton comes back into contention, in place of Joe Edge.
Our official 2026 squad news partner is Motorpoint Widnes!
🥊 The opposition
Oldham boast one of the division’s best winning records thus far, with 12 victories from their 14 games. The sides sitting between fourth-placed Oldham and unbeaten league leaders London Broncos in the table, Newcastle Thunder and Barrow Raiders, have both played two games more.
Taking away losses in the 1895 Cup and Betfred Challenge Cup, Alan Kilshaw’s men last tasted defeat in the league back in February, when the Vikings recorded a hard-fought 18-12 win at Bower Fold.
The Roughyeds currently head into Friday’s fixture on their longest winning streak in 25 years, with 11 consecutive victories. And with the Vikings looking to maintain their own excellent record, it promises to be a thrilling encounter at the DCBL Stadium.
Oldham 21-man squad: Matty Ashurst, Jake Bibby, Ted Chapelhow, Ben Davies, Brad Day, Josh Drinkwater, Owen Farnworth, Luke Forber, Ben Hartill, Ryan Lannon, Bayley Liu, Adam Milner, Ewan Moore, Tom Nisbet, Ben O’Keefe, Jaron Purcell, Morgan Smith, Jake Thewlis, Iain Thornley, Jack Walker, Matty Wildie.
⏪ Record against Oldham
The 10-10 draw at the DCBL Stadium in April last year was the first meeting between Widnes and Oldham since 2021.
Since then, the two sides have played out back-and-forth results, with the Roughyeds winning 22-4 at Bower Fold later that season, before Widnes returned the favour with an 18-12 win in Round 4 of the Betfred Championship earlier this year.
Prior to the draw, Widnes have emerged triumphant in their last five outings against Oldham, with their last defeat coming in the 2009 Northern Rail National League Cup, as the Roughyeds progressed to the third round with a 22-20 win.
Last five meetings:
- Oldham 12-18 Widnes (Championship R4, 20/2/26)
- Oldham 22-4 Widnes (Championship R16, 6/7/25)
- Widnes 10-10 Oldham (Championship R7, 18/4/25)
- Widnes 62-4 Oldham (Championship R20, 5/9/21)
- Oldham 18-40 Widnes (Championship R8, 30/5/21)
🗣️ Liam Bent previews Oldham clash
Hear from Vikings forward Liam Bent ahead of Friday’s Round 18 fixture at the DCBL Stadium
🏉 Officials
The referee for this fixture is Matty Lynn.
📲 Follow the game with the Vikings
Are you not going to be with us? You can keep updated with the Vikings’ official club coverage!
Vikings fans will be able to get full updates through our match coverage on our official X account – your hub to find out all the key news, including matchday line-ups, live game updates and post-game coverage.
