WIDNES coach Frank Endacott looked forward to the Good Friday clash with fellow basement strugglers Leigh Centurions and said: "We can't even think about losing to Leigh on Friday. It's as important as a Test match for us.
Endacott admitted his side are now "in a hole" after London Broncos inflicted a fifth defeat of the season on the Vikings. Widnes lost 66-8, while Centurions were also on the receiving end - losing 62-6 at Wigan Warriors, which enabled Leigh coach Darren Abram to come up with this great quote: "I asked the lads to hammer a nail in Wigan's coffin - but they used pliers."
Sunday's loss in the capital was brutal for Vikings, Broncos prevailing 66-8 with 12 tries, and Widnes are facing an early crisis in the engage Super League.
Endacott recognised the severity of the situation, with his team second-bottom.
"We are in a hole," he said. "It is not that deep but we've got to get out of it really fast.
"We lost all our changes after 33 minutes, so we had to go the rest of the way with the same 13. We are banged about real bad."
Broncos climbed to third place with what was a fourth home win on the bounce.
Nick Bradley-Qalilawa, John Kirkpatrick and Luke Dorn each scored two tries for Broncos, while Aaron Moule did likewise for Widnes.
"Aaron Moule was our best player by far today. He's a real class act," said Endacott, before setting his sights on the team's next fixture.
"We can't even think about losing to Leigh on Friday. It's as important as a Test match for us.
"With a short week of preparation it's going to be difficult and we may have to bring a couple of players back a week earlier. We were hoping to get through today without injury but you don't get what you want."
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