ONE of the common terrace criticisms levelled at Ben Black during his first spell with Halifax three years ago was that he didn't really turn it on in the games that mattered.
Well, the brilliant Australian half back who returned to the club this summer, put that one to bed last night.
In a game as quick and intense as you will find this side of Super League, Black bagged two tries, one a spectacular 70 metre sprint, and set up three more as Fax dumped Widnes' expensively assembled full timers out of the National League One play offs.
Fax led 16-6 at the break and 22-6 soon after, but were made to fight all the way by a ferocious Widnes line up who narrowed the gap to 22-16 with half an hour remaining.
On a night when the momentum of the game ebbed one way then the other, Black's pace, footwork and agility illustrated perfectly the difference between two very good teams.
Fax, as they have done all year, looked to move the ball wide at every opportunity and open the game up using the skills of Black, Mark Gleeson, Sean Penkywicz and Graham Holroyd.
Widnes, as is coach Steve McCormack's long-established style, brought a sledgehammer pack - Jim Gannon, the specially flown in Adel Fellous and the excellent Iain Morrison - and focused on exploiting Fax's perceived weakness down the middle.
It made for a fascinating, pulsating contest, which Fax ultimately won because they finally found the defensive steel to complement their unquestionable ability to pile on the points at the other end.
Widnes had plenty of possession, but found Fax's rearguard - the same one, lest we forget that shipped 44 points at Featherstone last time out - in season's best form.
The powder-puff grab tackles we saw at Post Office Road were out; the big hits and high octane aggression you need at this time of year were very much in.
The Vikings scored three tries, and played pretty well all night, but spent most of the evening being sent packing by a Fax side who are clearly not ready to end their year just yet.
Halifax had made the perfect start, Graham Holroyd's fourth-minute kick to the sideline being tapped back by a flying James Haley and Paul Smith doing remarkably well to stay in play and find Black backing up on his inside.
Holroyd could not add the extras from touch, but when Fax went close again soon after, Black racing onto a Holroyd grubber kick but failing to find the support that loomed inside and out, it seemed only a matter of time before they scored again.
Instead, it was Widnes who scored next, Matty Smith's last tackle kick - a tactic they stuck with all night - being reeled in by Gavin Dodd in the left hand corner.
Steve Tyrer added the extras for a 6-4 lead, but Fax regained the advantage in spectacular fashion just past the half hour, Black pouncing on a loose ball after Smith's kick rebounded off the defence and showing Tyrer a clean pair of heels on a 70 metre dash downfield.
Holroyd stroked over the conversion, and promptly launched a monstrous 40/20 kick to give Fax a foothold in Widnes territory as the clock ticked down to half time.
And they made the most of it too, Sean Penkywicz's jinking run putting the defence on the back foot and Black sending inspirational substitute Mark Flanagan stretching over the whitewash.
Holroyd's conversion made it 16-6 at the interval, and when Flanagan scored again two minutes into the second half, the on loan Wigan Warrior sprinting on to Black's kick through, Fax had a stranglehold on proceedings at 22-6.
Match factsHalifax: Miles Greenwood; Lee Patterson, Jon Goddard, James Haley, Damian Gibson; Graham Holroyd, Ben Black; Paul Southern, Mark Gleeson, David Wrench, Richard Varkulis, Paul Smith, Shad Royston. Subs: Sean Penkywicz, Mark Flanagan, Danny Heaton, Frank Watene
Tries: Black (2), Flanagan (2), Smith
Goals: Holroyd (6)
Widnes: Ian Hardman; Dean Gaskell, Steve Tyrer, Tim Hartley, Gavin Dodd; John Duffy, Matty Smith; Iain Morrison, Mark Smith, Jim Gannon, Chris Dean, Richard Fletcher, Bob Beswick. Subs: Paul Noone, Martin McLoughlin, Gareth Morton, Adel Fellous
Tries: Dodd (2), Tyrer
Goals: Tyrer (2)
Referee: Jamie Leahy (Dewsbury)
Attendance: 1,913
You sayegg chasing at its best bring on ryton the taxman
Great win gud performance great goal line defence we can do it Fax fan grebbo
great defence fax well done part timers blunder
Well fax weve all moaned and groaned about the defence this year but tonight it was great ! Oh keep it up ! From ackers
give all 17 three points amazing defence and never say die attack thanks again duncan i
Stat attackHalifax
Completions
First half: 16/25
Second half: 11/20
Penalties
First half: 4
Second half: 5
Widnes
Completions
First half: 16/18
Second half: 13/21
Penalties
First half: 3
Second half: 5
The full article contains 866 words and appears in Evening Courier newspaper.
