The South Cheshire league leaders were in blistering form during the opening quarter to lead 21 - nil, only to see that lead chipped away at by the home side who fought back to get in front midway through the second period.

From there, they should have gone on to get the job done, but in the end, it wasn't to be, and the 'red-and-blacks' were left to ponder what might have been.

Nevertheless, they are currently providing evidence that they are a different animal this season, and it will be interesting to check in again on their progress particularly over the next couple of weeks, and in the run up to the Christmas break.

For now, though, they can reflect on the fact that they are currently fifth in the table, having picked up points from six of their seven games so far; something they would happily have settled for given the tough sequence of early season fixtures they were handed over the summer.

The weather for the game was bright and sunny, with a strong chilly wind blowing down the pitch. Conditions, though, were dry and ideal for some free-flowing rugby.

For the second week in a row, Widnes suffered an injury in the warm up, with Lewis George having to withdraw after suffering a back spasm, and he was replaced by Andy Clarke with Sam Fitzsimon drafted in onto the bench.

There was little sign of the drama to come as the home side got the game underway playing against the elements.

Sandbach though were able to secure all the early possession, with the pressure soon telling as Callum Oakden crashed over for a try which as goaled by Randle.

It got even better for the visitors just a few moments later, as George Perkins crosses for another converted score which doubled the Sandbach advantage.

Still unable to get their hands on the ball, the visitors quickly struck again with a third try, as outstanding scrum half Laurie Essenhigh dummied his way over for another seven pointer.

Scoring at a rate of more than a point a minute, it was beginning to look like this could be a long afternoon for the home side.

However, after that, they slowly began to grab a decent share of the ball and field position, and following a half break from Liam Lawton, it was the Wids pack that were able to get to work before Jamie Patient’s pass freed up Kevin Leadbetter who crossed for a try.

Liam McGoven then added the awkward conversion to reduce the deficit to fourteen points.

Widnes gained more confidence from that try and now looked as if they were back into the contest, highlighted by a great run from man of the match Tom O’Neill and a touchline dash from Andy Clarke.

Despite still maintaining a handy lead, Sandbach opted to take a penalty kick at goal after 35 minutes but the effort from stand-off Matthew Randle was wide of the target.

With almost the final play of the half, Widnes were then able to make their way downfield to earn themselves a penalty which Liam McGovern converted from forty metres to keep them in the hunt at half time.

Widnes introduced Rio Hamlett at the break, and with the wind now behind them, they began the second half with renewed confidence.

A midfield bout of fisticuffs was soon followed by some great work from the forwards who laid siege to the Sandbach line and ended with Tom O’Neill barging his way over the line for a try.

Liam McGovern’s successful conversion attempt made the score 17 – 21 and game on again with half an hour remaining.

After absorbing some Sandbach pressure once again, the Wids were then able to make their way downfield, from where talisman captain Tom O’Neill was on hand to stride through a big gap to score under the posts.

With McGovern’s trusty right boot doing the rest, the home side were now in front for the first time in the match.

Sandbach were not done yet though, and on 64 minutes they capitalised on a Wids mistake to grab a bonus point try from Ryan Arundale and conversion from Randle to lead again at 24 – 28.

After that, the Wids were not without chances, but occasional lapses in concentration and patience, mixed in with a yellow card and several penalties, ultimately cost them momentum and the opportunity to grab that vital match winning score.

Head coach Liam McGovern said afterwards “Today was a test for our players in lots of different ways. We spoke before the game about how Sandbach are a top of the table team and would test our defensive line in that sort of manner.

Obviously the first 20 mins did not go to plan, but there was no panic in the camp, and I personally thought it was a fantastic comeback and showed the character in the team to be leading after 60 mins.

A few things after that did not quite go our way and we are disappointed to lose by a four-point margin when the game was definitely in the balance. But it shows the improvement of the players and that there is much more to come.”

Widnes: C O’Donnell, J Patient, L Lawton, K Leadbetter, A Clarke, L McGovern, G Hatton, D Rourke, R Mafi, S Whitty, S Bryan, M Garrity, M Jones, C Feeley, T O’Neill (c). Reps: R Hamlett, E Price, S Fitzsimon.