Betts praises Chester’s impact at Wakefield

Widnes travel to Wakefield on Friday hoping to follow up last weekend’s first victory of the season at Leigh.

The Vikings went into the game with just one point on the board, but their 37-24 success against the Centurions has lifted the mood around the club.

Trinity are currently sixth in the table after back-to-back wins and Widnes boss Denis Betts admits his team face a tough test.

“We’ve got the monkey off our back and that gives us a bit of confidence, but we’ve got to go to a place which is notorious tough to win at,” he told the club’s official website.

“They’re playing with confidence and will want to keep on rolling forward on the back of some turbulent years – they’re holding their nerve this year, so it’s gonna be a good clash.

“Chris (Chester) knows how to get the players moving in the right direction and I think John Kear has been a great help to him as well.

“From what I hear what Brian Smith was playing a lot of mind games with them and people weren’t responding.

“Chris came in and told them what he expected – if they didn’t deliver they wouldn’t play, and I think they’ve responded in spades.

“They’re a hard-working group of players that turn up week in, week out and make it a challenge for you to play well.”