It was the first game for Castleford since they parted ways with former coach Ian Millward but it was a game to remember, as the Tigers came from behind to defeat the Widnes Vikings 28-26 to move off the bottom of the ladder – a game that pleased caretaker coach Danny Orr.
The win ended a seven-match losing run at the Wish Communications Stadium, as they survived a late onslaught from Widnes to hold on for victory.
“I am a very relieved, happy man. It was a massive relief to win because it was very tense with two minutes to go,” said Orr.
“It is something for us to build on. I thought we defended really well in the second half to keep Widnes scoreless.”
There were a few players that Orr signalled out for praise, including hookers Adam Milner and Daryl Clark, as well as young winger James Clare.
“Daryl Clark has been ill and has not trained all week. He had to go to hospital,” added Orr.
“My idea was to start with Adam Milner and then get half an hour into the game and bring Daryl on to speed us up a bit.
“Then for the last 20 minutes bring Milner back on and move Clark to loose forward where he can still cause problems. I thought both of them played really well. They really got us going forward.
“James Clare has come in for a bit of criticism this year because he has made a few errors and he knows that, but I thought today he was probably one of our best players.
“It was an outstanding performance from the young kid so I was really pleased for him.”
For Widnes coach Dennis Betts, he felt a bit dejected after the game, knowing full well that his side did not play as well as they could have and it cost them the game.
The Widnes boss was however pleased for Danny Orr to win in his first game as caretaker coach, praising Orr and the Castleford club on the win.
“We are disappointed with our second half display. We got a little bit too cautious in the second period,” said Betts.
“We looked like a side who didn’t want to lose rather than a side that wanted to go on and win the match. I thought Castleford fed off the crowd and they had nothing to lose.
“I didn’t think it was a great game – it was exciting – but I didn’t think we played that well. We were pretty average. We clicked into gear in the first half but then we just got caught up in the emotion.
“I am really pleased for Danny Orr. I’ve known him a long time and he’s come up with what we expected and what you thought would happen. He’s got a response from the team.
“Castleford came out with passion and energy and we couldn’t match that enthusiasm. We just lost the battle of emotion and attitude. Castleford fed off the crowd and they fed off each other really well.”