VIKINGS coach Neil Kelly this week urged his players to make their four remaining league fixtures count - or the season could have all been for nothing.

His stark warning was spurred by his side's depressing 40-6 defeat to play-off rivals London Broncos on Saturday, which saw them slip to eigth in the table behind Castleford.

"We were having a good season up to now and with four games left it would be nice to compliment what we have already achieved - not be to its detriment," said Kelly yesterday (Tuesday).

The message will be seen as a final push to gear up his Widnes team for a top six finish and get back to the "enthusiastic and workman-like" performances of the beginning of the season.

"There was a lot of people who spent a lot of money to watch the game there," he went on. "They went to see a certain level of commitment and I don't think they got that.

"A large proportion of my team failed to give the very barest of indication they were up for the game."

The final score at Griffin Park didn't flatter the Broncos either. They looked superior in every department against a strangely lacklustre Widnes outfit.

Chief architect of the visitor's demise though was London scrum half Dennis Moran who, as well as registering his 19th try of the season, was at the heart of all London's best attacking ploys.

No supprt

For the Vikings, only full back Stuart Spruce could be pleased with his evening's work but his excellent lead-up work failed to find the support of his colleagues.

And, after a cagey opening ten minutes, the Broncos opened the scoring when ex-St Helens winger Steve Hall latched onto a Moran kick to score at the corner.

Another Moran kick saw second-row Matt Toshack gather to score, with Paul Sykes converting, and centre Nigel Roy swept up a Jason Demetriou fumble to scramble over for a converted try.

The Vikings needed to get to the break without conceding any more points but with just two minutes of the half remaining, London skipper Jason Hetherington backed up a Tony Martin break to stroll over.

Sykes' excellent touchline goal made it 22-0 and the game was as good as over - and it seemed that most in the Vikings' camp knew it.

Moran dummied and ducked his way over eight minutes into the second half and shortly after Roy notched his second try of the afternoon from a superb off-load from substitute forward Wayne Evans.

Evans got on the scoreboard himself on 68 minutes when he latched onto a Moran kick to touch down as the weary Widnes defence looked on helplessly.

Frenchman Sylvain Houles scored the Broncos final try as he sauntered over with embarrassing ease through the right centre channel.

"London were too good," admitted a despondent Kelly after the match, but added: "If we had had a go and lost by the same scoreline I would not feel the way I feel now.

"Our physical side of the game was poor...and there was a lack of defensive effort from the front line."

Widnes: Spruce, Demetriou, Potter, Hughes (1g), Devlin, Carter, Eaton, Relf, Cantillon, Stone, Farrell, McCurrie, Frame (1t), Subs: Atcheson, Mills, O'Neill, Richardson.