WIDNES Vikings pre-season preparations stepped up a notch this week as several more familiar faces returned through the doors of the Stobart Stadium Halton to find the club’s improved fitness regime well underway.

While new forward Dave Allen and Paul Cullen’s assistant Stuart Wilkinson headed home this week from their international duties with Ireland and France respectively, conditioning coach Mick Cassidy has been busy implementing some of his fresh training ideas with the rest of the newly-assembled group.

And former Widnes second row Cassidy will be doing all he can over the coming weeks and months to ensure that the 2010 squad will be in a position to avenge last season’s premature play-off exit.

“Last week was mainly a re-group after the lads had all had six weeks off,” said Cassidy. “Two of those weeks were complete rest and after that they all had individual training schemes to follow.

“Now it’s my job to take a look at the lads, identify their early strengths and weaknesses and help them to improve, so that when we start up next year we are stronger overall as a team and can peak around play-off time next season.

“We’ve got all new training gear, such as wrestling mats, and the next four weeks will be massive.

“We’ve introduced a lot of high impact training, so that the body is hardened up to contact once we get going for good.”

Cassidy spoke of his pleasure at the prospect of being joined at training by fellow Irish international and former Viking Allen. He believes that the once prodigious youngster will return to Widnes a much improved player than when he last appeared in a black and white shirt.

He added: “The best is yet to come from Dave Allen. He’s still young and will grow some more but he played fantastically well last year for Barrow.

“He’ll put a lot of pressure on our back row forwards.”

Cassidy eyes the future with confidence.

“This club has come on leaps and bounds since the Super League rejection. No one has whinged or complained about it and we’ve delivered on everything we’ve been asked to do so far.

“We have some fantastic supporters who have always been patient with us.

“Now its all about building for the future and continuing to compete at a high level.”



I feel ultra confident with Mick in charge of the pre season, the players should be in awesome conditon come the start of the season.

I hope you are in awesome condition to give you a hope of making up for your lack of quality in comparison to the top teams

Your getting boring

hopefully someone can do the honours and put a ban on you coming on this board. Every thread is now destroyed by some idiotic fool.

Some good noises coming from the club in the recent press releases. All very optimistic about the season ahead and recruitment hasn't even finished yet!

at least it saves you the effort

In line with last year Halifax have taken delivery of some new training gear.

Your mockery is just a poorly veiled attempt to cover up your fear of us. Secretly you know butter fingers Black and the country mile crew will choke when it really matters...

You'll win nothing again and will have nothing to show for all this pre-season bleating on other team's boards...

Their fans always did crow on about players joining 'fax 'for the great social life'...

Players come to Widnes to win things.

I think this is yours:





And I suggest [iyou[/i put your tampon back in.

Truth hurts.

And I'm sure I've seen Shirley Watane sporting a similar handbag elsewhere...