Widnes manager Dave Dempsey was left pleased by the reaction from his players during their win over Glossop North End.
Lloyd Dean continued his influence on the squad as Rodrigo Schmitdinger picked up an assist on his debut teeing up Stephen Rigby in the 2-0 win.
It was an improved performance from the defeat to Colne, last time out, as Widnes look to continue their good run against an equally impressive Bootle side.
Dempsey told Off The Park: “They were good on Saturday, we asked for a reaction and got one which was pleasing. We’ve been in that position before on the back of a defeat but the lads have always turned the screw and got a win when it’s needed so it wasn’t a surprise to me. Overall, it was quite a pleasing game.
“We’ve had quite a lot of possession before the first one, it’s a direct ball then we’ve worked the ball back, rather than playing out, Cam [Terry] has seen we’re three v three, he’s got to hit Lloyd [Dean], Macca [Alex McMillan] has won the flick on, the centre-halves in no-mans land and Lloyds finished really well.
“The second was really well worked, found Rodrigo [Schmitdinger] in the half space that we try to work on. He’s seen the run of Riggers [Stephen Rigby] and he was a great pass and really great finish which hasn’t got much praise because of the pass so it was good all around.”
Dean added his fourth of the season for Widnes but Dempsey hailed the former Prescot Cables talisman, admitting he ticks a lot of boxes.
“He gives us that balance up front, we’ve not had that and been searching for it, we’ve gone through three or four strikers before Lloyd,” he added.
“He’s exactly what I want in a forward, he knows when to standstill, get back his back and play with his back to goal, he’s a very knowledgable player, he’s experienced, he’s very fit. So he’s not a very 30+ player who’s coming to the end, he’s still mobile. He’s been fantastic, he’s just what we’ve needed.
“It’s that 10-day layoff, Tuesday night we’ve struggled against City of Liverpool and Colne when we’ve been in that position. There’s factors around the Colne game that we didn’t perform to our full potential, it was complacent but there was factors leading to it and credit to Colne, they were more hungry than us.
“That won’t be the case Saturday, the lads know what’s needed, Bootle will be a good side. I’ve seen them a few times, we’ve played them twice and had two good results with the 3-0 and drew to a last-minute equaliser [in the FA Trophy] they went on to beat us on penalties.
“But we’ve been relatively good against Bootle, we’re a different side now to when we played them. It’ll be a good game, we just need to go up there and see if we can get anything, if we can anything on the road, a points good, three points would be amazing, a defeat we won’t be too downhearted.
“It’s a game we’re expecting to be hard to play against, cause an upset if we can and stay in the same mentality as we are at the minute, take each game as it comes and work hard first and foremost.”
[Featured image: 617 Photography]
