 | MATCH SUMMARY Widnes (4) 16
Tries: Hughes, Kerr, Finnigan
Goals: Myler 2 Bradford (26) 60
Tries: Fa'afili 2, Westwood, Lima, M. Gleeson, Kohe-Love 2, Grose, M. Gleeson, P. Wood, Riley
Goals: Bridge 8 |
Widnes saw their four-year stay in the Super League come to an end with a crushing defeat to rivals Warrington. Wolves ran in 11 tries, with Henry Fa'afili and Toa Kohe grabbing two each and Chris Bridge kicking eight goals.
The home side were down and out at half-time, trailing 26-4, and conceded another 34 more points after the break.
Warrington remain in fifth spot in the table but are now just one point adrift of third-placed Bradford with three games of the regular season remaining.
Widnes, on the other hand, will be hanging on to the hope that a club not meeting Super League's entry criteria wins the National League.
Such a scenario would offer them a late reprieve.
Warrington opened the scoring after two minutes when Fa'afili went over after picking up a kick to the corner from Lee Briers.
Widnes got their only cheer of the half when Keiran Kerr sent Adam Hughes over to level.
It was all one-way traffic after that, with Danny Lima going over shortly after coming off the bench, before Mark Gleeson and Kohe-Love added two more before the break.
Arguably the best try came after the restart when Wolves full-back Brent Grose took a pass in his own in-goal area and ran the whole length of the field to score.
Fa'afili, Martin Gleeson and Paul Wood then added more salt into Widnes wounds.
The home side's humiliating day was complete when Kohe-Love and 17-year-old Chris Riley grabbed his first try for the club.
Kerr and Simon Finnigan touched down late in the game for the Vikings.
Widnes coach Frank Endacott said he was left "dumfounded" after the heavy defeat and subsequent relegation.
"It's disastrous. It is a sad day for our club," he said. "We prepared enough to get a result but I tend to say that every week. I'm dumfounded by the result.
|  We are now back on track, back in the fight and still above where everyone in this country thought we would be |
"The players were demoralised. It is not nice to be on the end of a result like that. It is a fact now we can't survive with what we do on the pitch."
Warrington coach Paul Cullen said he was pleased his victorious side managed to concentrate on the game rather than Widnes' plight.
"The relegation issue is Widnes' business and I don't really want to get involved in it," he said.
"It was about two points and I am very pleased we could handle the emotion of the event.
"We are now back on track, back in the fight and still above where everyone in this country thought we would be."
Widnes: J. O'Neill, Watts, Connolly, Hughes, Viane, Myler, Kerr, J. O'Neill, Smith, Nash, Cassidy, Frame, Finnigan.
Replacements: Emelio, Whitaker, Mills, Alcock.
Warrington: Grose, Fa'afili, M. Gleeson, Kohe-Love, Bridge, Briers, N. Wood, Leikvoll, M. Gleeson, P. Wood, Swann, Westwood, Clarke.
Replacements: Riley, Bracek, Hilton, Lima.
Referee: Richard Silverwood (Dewsbury)
MMIX
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