Joint boss Kev Towey said he was pleased with the ruthlessness of his and Steve Akrigg's side as Widnes ran out 7-1 winners against Barnton at the Halton Stadium on Saturday.

Goals from George Lomax and Ben Hodkinson had Widnes two goals to the good at half time with Chris Lomax quickly adding a third after the restart.

Jack Irlam reduced the deficit with a penalty for Barnton, but Towey made an instant impact off the bench scoring with his first touch.

Jack Banister also came off the bench to add a brace, while Stuart Cook added to the haul with a late strike.

Speaking after the game, Towey was pleased to see his side step up into another gear with four goals coming inside of the last 20 minutes.

"The last 20 minutes or so, we really stepped up a gear and I think that showed with the goals that we scored," Towey said.

"We missed four one-on-ones. The 7-1 scoreline didn't really reflect the game for long periods but we were excellent in the last 20 minutes of the game.

"Mike Grogan has put his hands up for their goal. He was at fault fand he knows it but we seemed to hit a switch and moved up the gears once they pulled a goal back.

"Being able to score a few more goals late on is very pleasing."

With tough trips to Marine and Runcorn Linnets to come late in the week, Towey stated that the depth of the Widnes squad is a huge positive especially at this stage of the season.

He said: "We've been able to rotate which is a huge plus, certainly at this time of the season.

"Today wasn't even a case of rotating fringe players in, we've been able to bring in lads who we've been playing and performing consistently.

"The likes of Chris Lomax, Ben (Hodkinson) and Danny Laverty have all come in to the side and done what has been asked of them today, which is a really nice thing for us to have."

From an individual perspective, Towey came off the bench to score Widnes' fourth, although he admitted that he had mixed feelings about scoring against one of his former clubs.

"I don't think I've ever scored with my first touch off the bench before," Towey said.

"It was certainly nice to score, although not so much with Barnton being one of my former clubs.

"But from a Widnes perspective, the fourth goal killed the game off and really nullified anything else they had left to offer."

Towey also commented on the return of co-manager Akrigg to the playing side after six months out injured, believing that the addition of the central defender will be a welcomed boost moving forward.

He said: "Ste was one of our best players when we won the league last season.

"We lost him right at the start of this season, it's been exactly six months now.

"It's been a long road back for him and I know how frustrated he has been but he's played a huge part off the field so to get him back on the pitch is massive for us moving forward."