The two sides will now meet in a replay on Tuesday 8th August as the Whites were left to rue a catalogue of missed chances against their lower-level opposition.

Michael Ellison’s side dominated the shot count (21-2) and controlled possession but couldn’t find a winner after James Steele had cancelled out Paul Turner’s 15th minute opener.

Steele was denied by the woodwork on three separate occasions in a game where Widnes created enough chances to settle the contest four times over.

Four debutants made their competitive bow in a Widnes shirt with Will Bell, Kris Holt, Matt Van Wyk and Eddie Servuts all given the nod to start with a further two new boys, Owen Beamon and Sam Bhatti, on the bench.

Widnes started brightly and forward Van Wyk, signed from FC United of Manchester earlier this summer, was at the forefront.

He headed off target in the early exchanges from a Jay Roberts cross before dragging an effort wide minutes later after crafting a decent opening for himself inside the area.

But Longridge, who caused an upset at the DCBL Stadium in this very competition three years ago, took the lead against the run of play.

In truth, it was the Ridge’s first real sight of goal when Turner ghosted in at the back-post to prod home Jack Anderton’s delicious cross beyond Cameron Terry.

The visitors then enjoyed a 10-minute spell that stifled the hosts but Widnes eventually settled back down to regain control of a contest that they dominated thereafter.

Steele went agonisingly close to an equaliser on the half-hour mark.

Defender Daniel Wilkinson made a mess of Holt’s through ball and his poor touch set Steele on his way. The Widnes man did everything right and his strike did beat goalkeeper Aidan McKearney but cannoned back off the frame of the goal.

McKearney then got down well to push a Sean Miller effort away to safety while Steele again threatened moments later, but his shot was tame.
A goal was coming and the equaliser came seven minutes before the half time interval.

Longridge never properly dealt with a Widnes corner and a Bell snapshot sat up kindly for Steele to turn home from close-range to level.

Ellison’s team could have gone in at the break ahead but Servuts fired across the face of goal and wide after combining well with Van Wyk.

It long felt as though there would only be one winner in the second half but Longridge, to their credit, defender stoutly and held Widnes to hopeful efforts rather than anything meaningful for large periods.

They had Mitchell Marshall to thank for preserving the stalemate when Van Wyk raced through on goal midway through the half.

Keeper McKearney got caught outside of his area in no man’s land and Van Wyk nodded the ball beyond him, but a change of running angle allowed Marshall to regain a yard or two and clear the loose ball with Van Wyk almost guaranteed to score.

Chance after chance started to come and go. Steele flicked an opportunistic backheel against the post from an acute angle while a follow-up effort was blazed over.

Van Wyk then went on a stunning solo run, collecting the ball deep in his own half before dribbling forward beyond all comers and into the area, but he seemed to slip under pressure from a defender as he poised to shoot, missing the target to what surely would have been a very early contender for Goal of the Season.

Time ticked away and Longridge became increasingly defiant although Widnes did very nearly win it deep into second half stoppage time when Steele’s cross-cum-shot rattled the crossbar.

There was to be no winner, however, and now the tie heads for a replay at the Recycling Lives Ground.