Dewsbury Rams 23 Widnes Vikings 22: Lee Greenwood hopeful victory enough to secure Championship status

A run of four-straight defeats saw the Rams drop to 12th in the table but Greenwood now feels it would take a “miracle” for his side to be caught by either Oldham or Swinton Lions, who occupy the bottom two places.

It proved a nervy finish for Dewsbury against the Vikings as they held onto a one-point lead for the final 13 minutes to claim a much-needed win.

“We needed a win because of the run we have been on and what we have had to go through in recent weeks,” said Greenwood.

“In terms of league placings and Championship status, we thought one more win would be enough - one win would be enough to dispel any relegation fears.

“Unless something miraculous happens, I think that will be enough to keep us in the Championship next year.

“From that respect it is good, it means we can relax a little bit and not have to look over our shoulder as much in these next five or so games. We can have one eye on next year.”

Early tries from Matty Fleming and Jimmy Beckett saw Dewsbury get off to a perfect start before Ste Tyrer dotted down to half the deficit for Widnes.

Dale Ferguson - who arrived on loan from Featherstone Rovers last week - scored a vital try five minutes before the interval.

Warrington Wolves loanee Riley Dean then added a drop goal to edge the Rams 13 points ahead.

He went on to kick two penalty goals in the second half and they proved decisive as tries from Deon Cross, Joe Edge and Kenny Baker helped the visitors produce a spirited fightback but the Rams had enough points on the board to edge to victory.

“We have been down on bodies, so we needed those players to name a 21-man squad, even though this week it was still a 20-man squad,” said Greenwood of the players who have joined the club on loan in recent weeks.

“Like every other team, we are struggling to put a squad out. Some of the teams have been hit harder than others. We have struggled with late withdrawals. This is the first time in quite a few games where the actual team we selected on the last training session took the field, so that was a positive before we even started.

“The loans have helped. Jimmy Beckett is in his third spell so he feels like our player almost. Robson [Stevens] is in his second spell and he is getting better game on game.

“Riley Dean made a big difference against Whitehaven when he came on and against Widnes he was good, he is very assured for a young lad and Dale Ferguson is a quality player.

“When you add someone like that in, you don’t need to tell him what to do, he knows what to do and he does it very well.”