Widnes v Stafford Rangers

REPORT

Time is starting to run out for Stafford Rangers who are now seven points off safety in the NPL Division One West after their latest defeat – at the hands of table toppers Widnes.

Saturday’s trip to the DCBL Stadium – home of Widnes Rugby League – was always going to be a difficult test for relegation threatened Rangers and caretaker boss Graham Deakin who was taking charge for the first time since Dale Belford’s departure.

Deakin made changes with Sam Fitzgerald and Joe Morley left out of the squad. In came Ethan Patterson and Lewis Collins for their debuts.

Stafford got off to the worst possible start and fell a goal behind in the sixth minute. Harry McGee drilled the ball across from the right which Cam Belford failed to hold on to and Jacob Holland-Wilkinson snapped up the loose ball.

Rangers had already had a let off when Tom Peterson somehow managed to scoop the ball over the bar from a couple of yards out after a similar ball in from McGee.

After Belford had done well to parry a well struck drive from Ben Rydel, Rangers started to get more into the game with Collins’ shot deflected wide and Patterson heading wide from the resultant corner.

But Widnes were asking most of the questions and Belford saved well from Sean Miller before Peterson dragged his effort wide of Belford’s right hand post.

Miller came closest to adding to the score when his 25 yard free kick came back off the Stafford cross bar. Holland-Wilkinson headed wide in the follow up.

In the final minutes of the first half, Rydel shot just wide and was also denied by Belford’s finger tip save.

Rangers made a positive start to the second half as Jack Burgess fired just wide and Ben O’Hanlon’s shot took a deflection past the post.

Widnes made a couple of changes introducing Sharif Deans and Jack McGowan and the home side soon made them count as the latter had a simple tap in from Rydel’s square ball to double the lead on the hour mark.

Deans missed several opportunities to increase the tally – Michael McGrath made a couple of blocks – and Matty Rain sent another ball across the face of goal.

Despite James McQuilkin forcing Mark Halstead to tip his well struck drive over the bar in the final minute, Rangers never really looked like getting anything from the game.

Widnes: 1 Mark Halstead, 2 Jack Walls (14 Brendan O’Brien 69m), 3 Matty Rain, 4 Niall Battersby, 5 Louis Isherwood, 6 Ben Rydel, 7 Steve Irwin, 8 Harry McGee (12 Dominic McGiveron 64m), 9 Tom Peterson (15 Sharif Deans 57m), 10 Sean Miller, 11 Jacob Holland-Wilkinson (16 Jack McGowan 57m). Unused Subs 17 Kingsley Williams.

Stafford Rangers: 1 Cam Belford, 2 Andy Burns, 3 Ben O’Hanlon (16 John Atherton 69m), 4 Ashley Fallon (17 James O’Neill 79m), 5 Michael McGrath, 6 Ethan Patterson (12 Scott Wara 69m), 7 Callum King-Harmes, 8 Jack Burgess, 9 Kaiman Anderson (14 Zidan Sutherland 79m), 10 James McQuilkin, 11 Lewis Collins. Unused Subs 15 Liam Brazier

Referee: Graeme Kearney

Cautions: McGee (Widnes)

Attendance: 244

Report by Chris Elsley