Ahead of Sunday’s trip to Oldham in Round 8 of the Betfred Championship campaign, we take a closer look at this weekend’s opponents.
FORM GUIDE
Oldham welcome Widnes Vikings off the back of a spirited display away to York City Knights, as they competed well until the sending off of fullback Tom Nesbit, eventually going down 34-6 at the LNER Communuty Stadium.
Sunday’s defeat marked the third in a row for Matt Diskin’s side, having lost to Featherstone Rovers and Whitehaven previously.
They did pick up a 16-12 win over Halifax Panthers prior to their run of losses, and also defeated Swinton Lions in the opening game of the season.
Heading into this weekend, Oldham are currently in 12th place in the Betfred Championship table, sitting one point behind the Vikings.
VIKINGS CONNECTIONS
Widnes fans will see a familiar face line-up opposite them this weekend, as Ryan Ince looks set to face his former team for the first time.
An academy graduate, the former Vikings winger occupies the number five shirt at Bower Fold and has one try in his six appearances so far this season.
During his time at the DCBL Stadium, Ince scored 31 tries in 46 appearances between 2016 and 2019.
ONES TO WATCH
Second rower Danny Langtree is a stand-out performer for Oldham week-in, week-out, and is currently joint-top of the club’s try scoring charts so far this season with three.
Tommy Brierley also has three tries from the wing, and will be hoping to add to his tally when he takes on the Vikings.
Dan Abram has been featuring at halfback lately, but could be set to return to fullback following Tom Nesbit’s sending-off, and he can offer problems to opposition defences regardless of his position.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Vikings faced Oldham twice before the premature end to the 2020 season, as they came out on top in both the Challenge Cup (52-12) and the first round of the Betfred Championship (6-36) that season.
Widnes have won their last three meetings with the Roughyeds, and their last defeat at their hands came back in 2009, losing out 20-22 in a Northern Rail Cup fixture.
You have to go back 20 years for the last Oldham home victory in this fixture though, with the Vikings winning seven of the last ten meetings between the two clubs.
STREAM INFO
Vikings supporters can purchase a live stream of Sunday’s fixture for £4.95 if bought in advance, with streaming passes increased to £10 on the day of the game. Please note, because this is an away fixture it is not free to view for Widnes Vikings Season Ticket holders.
