For the second week running, I've left a Widnes game shaking my head. This time not because of thuggery on the pitch, but thuggery off the pitch, by the Normanton Knights supporters.
Having spent most of the second half standing up causing bother, the ringleader decided to rush on to the pitch when the visitors scored a well deserved try. This then erupted in to a brawl between a number of Normanton fans and the stewards. Then as this kicked off, the rest of the Normanton fans decided to pile in, and the game had to be stopped. The game was also ended around 5 minutes early to prevent any further trouble.
Throughout this, the stewards were a joke. No one was ejected, except the guy who initially ran on to the pitch. There's a smoking ban at the stadium, and one Knights fan was stood there smoking a ciggy whilst holding his middle finger up at another steward.
The game itself was poor. Widnes never really turned up and were 72-0 up after 60 minutes. We then decided enough was enough, and let Normanton do what they want. The refere also decided to let the Knights break any rule they wanted, e.g. offside, forward passes, as Ian Smith decided he wanted Normanton score. It worked though.
