Whites inflict comfortable defeat on lacklustre Bucks

A nervy tempo set into the game, with the ball being played mostly around the midfield areas in the opening stages until Ben Hodkinson found an ounce of space from the left.

A dangerous through-ball found the Bootle attacker, who ventured forward and had the beneficiary of being one-on-one with the Widnes ‘keeper, Cameron Terry, with the shot-stopper coming out on top, making his body big to deny Hodkinson’s incoming effort.

Widnes’ first chance came out of nothing, when Sean Miller’s snapshot from afar narrowly drifted over the top of the bar.

The hosts punished a lackadaisical Bucks back-line to make the breakthrough, as Matt Van Wyk received the ball in the area and slotted it just under Owen Mooney.

Mooney was beaten by Van Wyk five minutes later as a free-kick was parried by the Bootle ‘keeper, with Van Wyk the quickest to react as he slotted home the Whites’ second.

HT: Widnes 2-0 Bootle

Bootle made much needed and attacking substitutions and it almost paid dividends, as a cross from the right was met by the diving head of Tom Peterson, but he couldn’t divert it goal wards as it flew just wide.

The best opportunity of the second period landed to the hosts, as James Steele gathered the ball from range and rattled the woodwork as a third was nearly secured.

Neither side were able to put a foothold on the game as it petered out as a comfortable win for the hosts.

FT: Widnes 2-0 Bootle