Joint-manager Kev Towey insists Widnes are heading in the right direction despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Ramsbottom United at The Offside Trust Stadium.

Dale Korie-Butler had fired Widnes into a seventh-minute lead and the Whites looked likely to record a second successive victory when Jerome Wright equalised 18 minutes from time with a goal out of nothing from long-range.

The result lifts Widnes to 10th in the Evo-Stik Division West although the Whites have played more games than any other side in the top half.

Speaking after the game, Towey admitted that it was two points dropped from Widnes' point-of-view but pinpointed positives to take into Saturday's trip to Glossop North End.

"It does feel like that two points have slipped away from us," Towey said. "We've had chances at 1-0 that we should have taken but they were a well-organised side that made it difficult.

"We've got to take away the positives from tonight. I think we created some good opportunities and the lads have worked their socks off.

"We were complaining at the beginning of the season about not creating chances and we've seemed to have turned a corner now. We're getting into good areas and with a little bit more guile, we'll score more goals.

"Their goal has come from a catalogue of mistakes where we've given the ball away and not closed the lad down who has gone on to score. Although it seems like it came out of nothing, we are aware of the events that led to it."

Widnes suffered a double first-half blow as both Jack Dunn and Mike Burke were forced to withdraw inside the opening 30 minutes with hamstring injuries.

Towey believes that the enforced changes took a bit of wind out of his side's sails when the Whites were on top and in control.

"We lost Jack early on and he looked bright as he did on Saturday but I thought that Ben (Hodkinson) came on and did really well in that position," Towey added.

"Losing Burkey seemed to knock a bit of momentum out of us. It didn't hamper us ability-wise - the two boys who came in did fantastically well - but it probably did knock us out of our rhythm.

"Burkey's injury is one we'll have to look at and he is certainly looking like a longer spell than a shorter spell out of the side.

"We'll have to assess Jack's ahead of Saturday to see how that settles down but we have players to come back into the side that leaves us in good stead."

Widnes travel to Glossop North End on Saturday, with Towey hopeful of a positive result to build momentum moving forward.

"We'd like to think that we can go there and get a good result," Towey said. "Our league form over the last six games has been decent.

"We've won three, drew two and lost one so I think we're heading in the right direction."