Widnes v Batley Preview

Widnes Vikings coach Denis Betts admits he will face a selection headache with the return of Dom Crosby for Sunday’s Co-operative Championship match with Batley Bulldogs.

Betts said: “We’ve got Crosby back, and everyone else is fit and strong, so the choice is what do we do with our squad and where do we go, because we had good performers last week against Toulouse.”

He added: “We’re running into a tough period now. We’ve got Leigh, Featherstone and Halifax coming up after this game against Batley.

We’ve got to start taking points from these teams so we can eat into the gap above us and make sure we finish where we want to finish.

“Widnes have only beaten Batley once in the last five meetings, so we know how tough they are. They’re playing well, they’re well structured and we know their strengths. It’s a big ask for us.”

Bulldogs are level on points with Widnes, although they have played one more match.

Coach Karl Harrison was proud of his side’s effort in their 24-18 defeat against Featherstone, and insisted: “If we can get to the play-offs nice and healthy, then nobody will want to play Batley.”