Widnes 15 Sale FC 8 (From Messenger Newspapers)

Widnes 15 Sale FC 8

2:42pm Monday 7th January 2013 in Sport

THINGS didn’t go as well as hoped for Sale’s 1st XV as they lost 8-15 at Widnes to a well organised and committed side.

The hosts took the lead with a try by Schofield following a cross-field kick in the seventh minute, but Sale responded well and narrowed the gap 10 minutes later to just two points with a Josh Longmore penalty.

Widnes restored their five point lead with a penalty on 23 minutes but for much of the remainder the half Sale hammered away at the Widnes line but without success.

The hosts had the territorial advantage in the second half but neither side could add to their points tally until the final five minutes of the game when Widnes scored a converted try by Varley to lead 15-3.

With time running out Sale rallied sufficiently to record a Matt Simpson try and gain a losing bonus point but the defeat has now put them in second place in the league table.