Widnes feeling positive ahead of Hull trip

Widnes coach Denis Betts has insisted that his team are feeling optimistic ahead of their Friday night clash with Hull FC at the KC Stadium.

Like every club, Widnes underwent a busy Easter weekend, beating Warrington at home before losing in France to Catalans Dragons.

“We go to Hull tomorrow, I wouldn’t say well rested, but in good spirits,” Betts told the Vikings’ official website.

“We performed particularly well for sixty minutes in France on Monday and apart from a slow start I think we gave a good account of ourselves.

“The young lads really stood up and had a good go.”

The Vikings’ squad is also boosted by the return of some key personnel.

“The lads that missed out on the trip to France are coming straight back into the side,” Betts explained.

“We will have a changed half-back pairing in Kevin Brown and Joe Mellor on Friday.

“Hopefully we will travel with a little bit of energy and a little bit of purpose.

“The Warrington win is still fresh in our minds.

“The Catalans performance has to be better and we know that but the side going to Hull has a completely different look about it.

“We have still got plenty of energy about us and we need to get on track with some wins and we need to get back climbing the table.

“I believe we are sitting in a false position in the table at this time of the year. We are just outside the eight and with just a win or two over the next couple of weeks will push us back up into a really strong position within the eight.”

Betts is well aware that playing in Hull is always tough, but is confident that his players can rise to the challenge.

“We go to Hull with a great deal of understanding of what is expected of us. We know how tough it is to play Hull at Hull,” he said.

“We are on TV. We know that they got a fantastic win over St Helens over the Easte period so they will be very buoyant and will be looking to consolidate their performances and climb the table themselves.”