Sheffield Eagles' winless run in the Betfred Championship was extended to six games on Sunday afternoon following a 12-24 defeat at home to Widnes Vikings.

The Eagles welcomed back Matty Dawson-Jones, Cory Aston, and Evan Hodgson into the starting lineup, while Blake Broadbent marked a milestone with his 150th career appearance as he started in the front row.

Following an evenly contested opening ten minutes in South Yorkshire, Dawson-Jones broke the deadlock on the right edge, finishing a flowing passage of play to give the hosts an early four-point lead in the 11th minute.

However, the Vikings responded before the break. Capitalising on an Eagles handling error, Luke Thomas gathered a kick through to score, sending the visitors into half time with a narrow 4-6 advantage.

Eagles stop a Widnes man from attacking their defensive line

placeholder image — Eagles stop a Widnes man from attacking their defensive line

Nine minutes into the second half, Sheffield were awarded a penalty in front of the posts, which Aston successfully converted to bring the scores level. Nevertheless, it was the visitors who asserted control in the final half-hour.

Widnes regained the lead shortly thereafter, as Ben Condon collected a high kick and touched down near the posts to make it 6–12. The advantage was extended when Will Roberts followed up another high kick to score, before converting his third goal of the afternoon.

The Eagles mounted a brief resurgence when Evan Hodgson reacted quickly to a loose ball and finished to the left of the uprights. Despite this, the Vikings had the final say. Condon crossed for his second try in the closing moments, sealing a 12–24 victory for the visitors from the North West.

Sheffield Eagles will look to bounce back next weekend as they travel to Bartercard Odsal Stadium to face Halifax Panthers (3pm kick-off).