Widnes Vikings release statement on crowd incident at Leigh
Widnes Vikings have released a statement following a crowd incident in their defeat to Leigh in the Challenge Cup.
Simon Finnigan’s side fell to a 38-4 defeat at the Leigh Sports Village in the fourth round of the cup.
Caleb Aekins scored a hat-trick, while Luis Roberts made his debut in replace of the injured Nene Macdonald.
Brad Holroyd pulled one back for his side on the half hour mark. However, a strong start from the Centurions saw them claim the victory.
Following the final hooter, a group of Widnes fans entered the field.
Widnes Vikings release statement
The club said in a statement: “Tonight we saw more fantastic support from our travelling Widnes fans who once again sang loud to get behind the team from start to finish despite the fact we were soundly beaten.
“Your support no doubt helped the team this evening in what was a difficult challenge.
“The travelling support was typically strong as we have seen at every game so far this season. But the actions of individuals who entered the field after the final hooter has potentially caused serious implications for the club.
“We would like to thank the majority of fans who travelled to Leigh and behaved well. But we will now be in dialogue with the RFL to understand if there will be any sanction to the club due to the actions of a very small minority.
“As a club we cannot condone such actions and will fully support any potential investigation.
“We once again want to reiterate our gratitude for the support shown to us tonight.”
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Simon Finnigan plays down Widnes’ promotion hopes
Widnes head coach Finnigan has played down pressure of the title chase.
The club currently sit at the top of the Championship table and remain undefeated in the league alongside Featherstone.
They have defeated London Broncos, Workington, Halifax and Dewsbury so far in 2022.
“We’re not getting carried away,” Finnigan said on Premier Sports. “We train hard and know what we can do behind the scenes. There are other teams in front of us at the moment. We’ve had a good start.
“Maybe they’ll talk about us, but people talk about Widnes anyway. It’s a big club. We were under pressure last year when we were losing and under pressure when we win. Let them talk about us, but we’ve still got to perform week in, week out.”
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