REPORT: WIDNES VIKINGS 35-20 SHEFFIELD EAGLES

The Vikings returned to winning ways this afternoon with a 35-20 win over Sheffield Eagles at the DCBL Stadium.

Allan Coleman’s side ran in six tries on the day to clinch a first win over the Eagles since 2021.

After a fast start, the Vikings struck first through Rhodri Lloyd as he climbed highest to gather Tom Gilmore’s kick and dot down.

The visitors began to build pressure after falling behind but resolute defence kept them at bay.

The Vikings then crossed for another as Shane Grady crashed over from close range to mark his return to the DCBL Stadium with a try and not long after he was over for a second as Matty Fozard found him with a short pass to power his way over.

On the stroke of halftime, Tom Gilmore slotted a drop goal to give the Vikings a well-earned 19-0 lead at the interval.

The second half started in a similar fashion as Jack Owens broke a tackle out wide to feed Ryan Ince for a stroll-in try that extended the lead to 25 points.

The visitors regained a foothold in the game as Rhodri Lloyd spilled a ball into the arms of James Glover who found Matty Dawson-Jones to score out wide.

That try kickstarted a fightback from the Eagles who scored two quickfire tries as Sene-Lefao took a short pass to crash over before Dawson-Jones crossed for a second out wide and cut the deficit to nine points.

A resolute Vikings side wrestled back momentum in the game, eventually crossing for the killer score through Mike Butt as he strolled in at the corner following a sensational flick pass from Jack Owens.

Matty Fozard then crossed for a try from a trademark dummy half sneak to re-establish a 19-point lead.

The visitors had the final say as Jones-Bishop scored out wide to cut the deficit but it was nothing more than a consolation as the Vikings picked up a crucial 35-20 win.

We turn our attention to a trip to the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium to take on Batley Bulldogs next Sunday.

COACHES COMMENTS

Head Coach Allan Coleman said: “First half I thought we were tremendous in how we approached the game and how we performed.

“They’re a good side with quality throughout, we hit a barren spell for ten minutes but the reaction from it was superb afterwards.

“We’ve worked all week on these little 1% things like communicating at the ruck and pushing on somebody’s shoulder. I think in the first half we showed a lot of that and a lot of determination.”