Widnes 22 Bradford Bulls 18: Ownership saga not to blame for Bulls defeat – Cummins

Bradford were made to pay for a slow start after Kevin Brown’s first-half double gave Widnes a lead they held onto despite a late rally from the away side.

The spirit of the Bulls’ comeback was notable after another tumultuous week, in which Marc Green secured ownership of the crisis-hit club.

“A lot has gone on this week (with the new ownership of the club) but it didn’t take the focus off this game and what we were trying to do which was come here and get a win,” Cummins said.

“The effort was there again for us and to be honest it’s been there all season and since we’ve been in administration.

“The players worked really hard and if we could have shown a bit more composure then maybe the result might have been different.

“We are just lacking a little bit of quality sometimes.”

Widnes raced into a 16-0 lead when Brown followed Jack Owens’s opening try with his double.

The hosts were reduced to 12 men just before half-time when Chris Dean was sent to the sin bin, and Liam Sutcliffe barged over for a converted score.

Elliot Kear and the impressive Brett Kearney added further tries for the Bulls after the break, but Patrick Ah Van’s score in between supplied the breathing space Widnes needed in the end.

Cummins was nonetheless impressed with his side, especially Kearney, despite the defeat still leaving them on minus two points following their deduction for going into administration.

“Brett Kearney was excellent for us,” he said. “He’s scored a great try and he’s got the skill set of a half-back and he really showed what he was about.

“He doesn’t react that well to this surface and he will probably be missing for the next three days but he’s in a really good bit of form.”

Widnes coach Denis Betts blamed Dean’s sending-off for unhinging his team after their quick start.

“I thought that we were totally in control but then they scored 12 points when we were down to 12 men and it really changed the game,” he said.

“I felt it was a great 40 minutes for us, I thought we were in real control so you’ve got to give some credit to Bradford who came out and had some fight in them because of the try before half-time.”

Betts also paid credit to Cummins and believes he is due more credit for the job he is doing with a club wracked by their off-field adversity.

“I was really impressed with Bradford and the way they approached the game,” he said.

“The amount of anxiety that Francis Cummins has had to cope with since he took charge and what they’re going through at the moment, it’s a credit to how hard he’s worked there that they still turned up and had a bit of a dig.

“I feel he deserves a lot of credit for how hard he’s worked in such an anxious environment.”

Widnes Vikings: Owens, Flynn, Dean, Phelps, Ah Van, Brown, Gilmore, Gerrard, Clarke, Joseph, Galea, Tickle, Cahill. Substitutes: Clough, Johnson, Lloyd, White.

Bradford Bulls: Kearney, Kear, Henry, Purtell, Wood, Sutcliffe, Gale, Manuokafoa, O’Brien, Walker, Olbison, Blythe, Donaldson. Substitutes: Addy, Roberts, Mullally, Bridge.

Referee: G Stokes (RFL).