Widnes Vikings head coach John Kear was left to rue missed chances as his side fell just short at Batley Bulldogs in Round 10 of the Betfred Championship.
In a tight game at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, the boot of Bulldogs full-back Luke Hooley proved to be the difference in tough playing conditions.
The Vikings briefly threatened a comeback at 10-4 in the closing stages when Zach Eckersley dived over following an excellent break from Matty Fozard, but the hosts sealed the win at the death thanks to Josh Woods’ drop-goal.
Kear admitted post-match that he couldn’t fault the “effort, enthusiasm and commitment to the cause”, but says their inability to turn pressure into points could’ve been where the game was won and lost on Monday night.
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“The conditions didn’t help us and how we wanted to play. It rained all day and it made it really slippery and greasy,” he said.
“Batley’s error count was far less than ours, and that may well be where the game was won or lost.
“We’ve lost [the ball] on or near the line, and you’ve got to nail those chances if you’re going to win tight games against quality opposition.
“We let the second half pass us by and didn’t ask enough questions.
“We’ve got to credit Batley as well. I thought they played really well and their completion rate was phenomenally high in conditions like this.”
The Vikings were dealt an early blow when half-back Danny Craven suffered a calf injury in the opening stages of the contest.
That forced a reshuffle in the backline, with Matty Fozard joining Jack Owens in the halves and Jordan Johnstone playing a full 80 minutes at hooker.
Discussing the nature of the injury, Kear added: “It looks like he’s torn his calf muscle, we’ll have to determine the grade of the tear. And that was done with the first kick that he put in of the game, on his standing leg.
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“Obviously it affected us and how we played. But you know, I thought Foz did a really good job moving in there and Jordan Johnstone moved from 13 to nine and played the full 80.
“They’ve certainly put a shift in and they’ve worked really hard, but we’ve just come up short.
“One try apiece, chances were at a premium – I think you may well say we had more chances, but we didn’t nail them.”
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