Widnes Vikings hooker Jordan Johnstone believes there is more to come from the squad as they ready themselves for the Betfred Championship Summer Bash this weekend.
The Vikings will kick off Day 1 of the Championship’s showpiece event when they face Swinton Lions at York’s LNER Community Stadium on Saturday.
John Kear’s side currently sit sixth in the Betfred Championship, having lost their last two games against Batley Bulldogs and Featherstone Rovers.
Nevertheless, Johnstone remains upbeat following recent results, insisting that players returning from injury can help the team kick on.
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“We’ve definitely shown improvement based on how the team did last year,” he said.
“We’re a lot more resilient in defence, and I think the game against Featherstone showed that.
“We were down on troops in that match, so to go against probably the best team in the competition and only concede two tries in the second half when we were down to 14 players is testament to where we are as a group.
“We’re getting players coming back now, getting on the field, so we will really try to kick on and attack this next block of fixtures.
“Hopefully we can start looking up, attack that top four and put ourselves in the mix for a play-off spot.”
The Vikings will look to record their second win of the season against Swinton, having swept them aside with a 48-16 victory on Good Friday.
Despite facing a Lions side currently 12th in the division with just three wins to their name this season, Johnstone knows his squad can leave no room for complacency.
“You can’t have a week off in this league because you’ll get burnt, and teams like Swinton can beat anyone on their day,” he admitted.
“It’s important not to get carried away going into games. We need to be on the money every week, and hopefully we can do that with the team we’ve got now.”
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The Vikings are set to take a large number of travelling supporters to York, and Johnstone hopes the squad can produce a performance to be proud of on Saturday.
“They’re absolutely brilliant and always have been,” the hooker added.
“Widnes’ away support is well-known around the competition. If we can keep them on our side, it’s like having an extra man.
“Hopefully we can put a good performance in for them.”
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