Widnes Vikings head coach John Kear has given his verdict on Sunday’s 26-18 defeat at home to London Broncos.
The Vikings led at two separate points during the contest but couldn’t get over the line as the Broncos returned to the capital with two Betfred Championship competition points.
Speaking post-match, Kear admitted that his players deserved nothing from the game.
“I thought we played terribly, to tell you the truth,” he said.
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“If you look at the points that the opposition have scored, they’ve come off the back of either our errors in our own half, or when we’ve had the ball and gifted it to them with a pass.
“Execution was poor, and in all honesty London were the better team. Physically, they were tougher than us, had better go-forward and created more chances.
“I felt we were always scrapping for the game. I’ve got to compliment [my players] on the first 20 minutes when they defended a load on their own line, but it was bound to take its toll energy-wise because we were defending and making errors.
“Ultimately we cracked, and probably what we did to Swinton last week [London did to us]. It’s been a very, very poor day at the office.”
The Vikings must look to regroup quickly, with back-to-back trips to Cumbria on the horizon to face Whitehaven and Barrow Raiders.
Before then, Kear insists his players must reflect on a missed opportunity against the Broncos and learn their lessons ahead of next weekend.
“We’ve missed a great opportunity to climb the league ladder, and we’re in amongst it as well now because Whitehaven have beaten Sheffield,” the Vikings head coach added.
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“They’re our opposition next week, so they’ll be feeling buoyed, as London were after their victory over Toulouse [at the Summer Bash].
“It’s going to be a tough week and a tough visit up to Whitehaven.
“They’re all tough games. Just because we’re called Widnes, it doesn’t mean to say we can beat London, or Whitehaven are going to roll over and have their tummy tickled.
“They’ll challenge us, and we’ve got to accept that and make sure we’re better than we were today.”
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