AS the Vikings prepare for Sunday's titan clash against Hunslet coach Colin Whitfield this week told the club's fans: You played a major part in getting us where we are today. Last weekend's victory against Workington - in front of a 4,000 strong crowd - ensured Widnes' place in the Northern Ford Premiership play-offs.

And Whitfield was quick to acknowledge the vociferous support his players have received from the fans which has helped turn their season around culminating in Sunday's seventh successive win.

"Without a shadow of a doubt the fans have helped us - they've been second-to-none and the players have really appreciated it," said Whitfield.

"I think the turning point was the York and Dewsbury games. They were do-or-die games and the fans came up with the spoils. They were fantastic.

"The support has escalated all season and culminated in Sunday's 4,000 crowd and that speaks volumes.

"Even though they can't help us on the pitch they push us all the way from the stands and it has been a tremendous boost for the players."

Hunslet, Widnes and Leigh all finished of 42 points with the Yorkshire club's superior goal difference pushing the Vikings into third spot.

They were all only two points behind champions Dewsbury but Whitfield was refusing to think about what might have been.

"I'm not about to dwell in the past I want to look forward - and that's the Hunslet game," he said.

"The camp is in good spirit but at the end of the day this is semi-final rugby. Both teams will prepare well and the best team on the day will come up with the rewards.

"We beat Hunslet at home earlier in the season but it was a close game and Sunday will be hard-fought.

"What I do know is that the players will go out and give it 100 per cent - that's a fact.

"It can go either way and hopefully it will go ours."

A few knocks and bruises have been reported after Workington but Whitefield said he will assess his players later in the week.

Fans planning to travel to the South Leeds Stadium are advised to arrived early as there are no plans to issue tickets for the 2,500 capacity ground.

Widnes Vikings 46

Workington Town 0

THE VIKINGS finished their regular season with a regulation victory over a poor Workington side - their seventh in succession.

One suspects that if Widnes had needed to win by double this score they may well have been able to do so against a Town outfit side who were missing several players through injury and also some who had gone on holiday!

The die was cast in the first minute when Paul Mansson and Damian Munro linked up to send Mark Hewitt under the posts.

Hewitt's conversion was the first of his nine successful goal attempts.

Simon Verbickas' try on eight minutes signalled the end of any meaningful resistance from the visitors though it proved to be the Vikings only other try of a first-half in which Town hardly made an incursion into the Widnes danger zone.

Hewitt's two penalty goals made it 14-9 at the interval.

The second-half started in similar vain to the first - a superb break from Munro saw him link up with Mansson who finished off the move in style.

10 minutes later, Verbickas completed his brace of tries after George Mann created the overlap and at 26-0 Widnes were out of sight.

On the hour mark, Munro took advantage of a horrendous Workington fumble to register a deserved try to keep up his amazing scoring record since his move to full-back.

The emergence of Fabien Devecchi from the substitute's bench was greeted warmly by the crowd and the Frenchman quickly repaid the debt by sending Percival under the posts.

Just to confirm his rehabilitation, Devecchi backed up a Phil Cantillon break to scamper under the posts from 20 yards for the Vikings final try.

The victory confirms the Vikings third place in the table and means they visit Hunslet Hawks in the first round of the play-offs.

The Hawks are, along with the Vikings, the form team in the Northern Ford Premiership, so a tough encounter can be anticipated at the South Lancs. stadium.

The limited capacity coupled with the fact that it is a non-ticket match (everyone has to pay on the door) makes it advisable for travelling fans to get there early).

In their respective post-match interviews, George Mann, Colin Whitfield and Tony Chambers all made reference to the positive effect of the Vikings vocal support.

They were dead right, of course, and when every away match feels like a home game it must inspire the team.

So set off early on Sunday, get into the ground well before the kick-off and shout the lads towards the grand final.

You know it makes sense.

Widnes: Munro (1t), P Smith, Percival (1t), Briers, Verbickas (2t), Mansson (1t), Hewitt (1t,9g), Hansen, Cantillon, Savelio, Mann, D Smith, Hulme, Subs: Myler, O'Neill, Devecchi (1t), Hill.

Attendance: 4,011.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.