Betts relieved as Ah Van inspires win

Denis Betts admitted it was a relief to see Widnes end their seven game losing streak with victory over St Helens last weekend.

The Vikings’ 16-14 win left them just a point behind Leigh and Huddersfield at the foot of the table and Betts is keen to see more of the same at Salford on Sunday.

“Getting a win always gives you a little bit of a boost,” he told the club’s official website. “The Easter period is tough for everybody – we just hadn’t been consistent enough throughout the games.

“Without getting too far ahead of ourselves it was nice to get the win, but it’s not going to solve our problems.

“We’ve got to get a string of games together and be consistent with our performance.

“The game wasn’t what you usually see after the Easter period. It was physical, it was tough both and sides were fighting really hard to get the win.

“I thought we created the better opportunities and played some really good stuff.”

Patrick Ah Van’s second try of the game in the 71st minute secured the points for Widnes and Betts admits he’s been pleased with the winger’s impact after a spell out with injury.

“You can pull wingers to pieces and you want quick wingers and wingers that can score quick tries or you want someone like Pat that can do things that no-one else

“He gets you wins in the back field because of his size and his fearlessness – he gets you tries because he’s got skill levels and ability to score tries out of nothing.

“If you get close to the line you want the ball in Pat’s hands. We’ve missed him sorely all the time he’s not been playing, because the work he does in the back field helps the forwards.

“The lads love playing with him and I think he shows his value quite easily the way he performed in both games after being out for such a long time.”