Widnes secured their first away win of the season as they beat Wakefield 30-18
Last Updated: 25/05/15 1:36am
Widnes overcame the absence of skipper Kevin Brown to stroll to their first away win of the season and pile on the agony for coach-less Wakefield.
Brown pulled out of the Vikings side due to illness but his half-back partner Joe Mellor slipped effortlessly into the role of captain and playmaker to guide his side to a 30-18 win over an outclassed Wildcats side, with centre Stefan Marsh scoring a hat-trick of tries.
Wakefield lost their coach in midweek when James Webster paid the price for last Sunday's Challenge Cup defeat by Leigh, and they lost their captain Danny Kirmond after just 36 seconds when he took a heavy knock attempting a tackle.
Kirmond had spoken of his desire to get a win for their departed coach but instead was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Wildcats suffered a 12th straight league defeat that highlighted the size of the task facing Webster's successor.
It was plain sailing for the visitors from the moment centre Cameron Phelps got full-back Rhys Hanbury over for the first of their six tries after just five minutes.
Mellor, prop Gil Dudson and winger Jack Owens all reached the Wakefield line without managing to get the ball down but Marsh demonstrated clinical finishing to claim his first two tries in a four-minute spell.
Marsh slipped the attempted tackle of Reece Lyne to open his account and took a trademark pass from the ever-dangerous Hanbury to score his second.
Right winger Jack Owens was unable to convert any of the tries but he crossed for Widnes' fourth on 24 minutes and this time hooker Lloyd White added the goal to make it 18-0.
Johnstone produced a sublime finish to pull a try back for Wakefield on the stroke of half-time but any hope of a comeback was snuffed out early in the second half when White went through a gaping hole in their defence to add to the Vikings' try tally.
The Wildcats were down to 12 men for a spell when second rower Matt Ryan was sin-binned for gamesmanship – preventing the visitors from taking a quick restart – and Widnes took advantage as Hanbury carved out an opening for Marsh to complete his hat-trick on 58 minutes.
White's third goal made it 30-6 but Wakefield produced a spirited rally to prevent total humiliation.
Miller broke through the first line of defence to get the returning Ryan over and centre Dean Collis took a pass from full-back Richard Owen to score the Wildcats' third try, with Miller kicking his third goal.
Widnes ended the game a man short, with Phelps sin-binned for a professional foul, but in complete command as they celebrated a first win away from the artificial surface of the Select Security Stadium.