Widnes Vikings would like to thank supporters for their brilliant attendance at Bower Fold yesterday, as over 1,000 fans helped spur Tim Sheens’ side to a 36-6 victory over Oldham.
Over 700 tickets were sold in advance through the club, which significantly benefitted the Vikings financially, as 20% of those sales are retained by the club.
Safety officers at Bower Fold have contacted the club to inform us that the behaviour of our supporters was impeccable, as they helped ensure that yesterday afternoon ran smoothly from start to finish.
With Sunday marking the beginning of a new era, it was important that all of the new faces within the club were shown just how important Widnes Vikings is to all of the club’s supporters.
Tim Sheens took the reigns for his first competitive match, hearing his name chanted throughout the 80 minutes from our unwavering support behind the sticks.
Deon Cross, Jake Spedding, Pat Moran, Kenny Baker and Connor Dwyer were all given their first experience of the travelling black and white army, making it a debut to remember.
Shane Grady, Matty Smith, Logan Tomkins and Jack Johnson also made their return to the Vikings, and although they’re aware of the levels of support this club generates home and away, Sunday’s atmosphere gave them an extra edge over our opponents.
Club captain Jack Owens commented, “Walking out to that support yesterday was something all of the lads will remember for a long time.
“We had seen the pre-sale numbers and were expecting a big following, but I don’t think any of lads thought we would end up with over 1,000 fans packed into that stadium.
“That level of support was something that we witnessed home and away last year, and if we have that backing week in week out in 2020 then it could be a special season for us.
“We have a great opportunity on Sunday to create another great atmosphere for our first home fixture of the season, so I hope that the fans get down in numbers again and give our new players another day to remember.”
Shane Grady added, “It felt amazing to be back out there in my hometown colours, I had tonnes of mates in the crowd so it was special playing in front of them.
“As I’ve already said, I didn’t really think this was going to happen after being away from the club for so long, so being back playing here again is brilliant.
“Hearing those fans during and after the game shows how important the club is to everyone, and it really gives us an extra boost so I’m hoping we can have a similar atmosphere for our first home game on Sunday.”
Widnes Vikings would once again like to thank our supporters for turning out in numbers at Oldham, and hope to see the DCBL Stadium packed out for our home season opener this Sunday.
Tickets for the visit of Batley Bulldogs are on sale now, with full information on online and in-store sales available at the below link.
