The Whites fell to a 3-0 defeat in Derbyshire but Akrigg, and joint-manager Kev Towey, would have been encouraged by a good performance with Widnes more than matching last season's beaten Northern Premier League Premier Division play-off semi-finalists.

Speaking after the game, Akrigg said: "I thought we did well and played some good football, to be honest.

"There's far more positives than negatives tonight. I know we got beat 3-0 but I don't think that there was much of a difference between the two sides.

"They were a lot more physical, a bit more direct and I think that the quality of their delivery was the difference in the end.

"Our shape was a lot better than it has been. Out of possession, we were very difficult to break down. Going forward, I think we're just lacking a bit of cutting edge in the final third as our general build-up play was good but I know that will come."

Widnes scored 12 goals in nine pre-season games, but nine of those goals came in two games against Ashton Town and FC St Helens.

While results and lack of goals were certainly not ideal, the Whites have tinkered with formation and Akrigg insists he isn't worried but is instead buoyant about Widnes' recent upturn in performances.

"You can see that we're developing an identity - from Owen (Wheeler) at the back through to the strikers," Akrigg said.

"Everyone's comfortable on the ball, and I know that we've not scored many goals in pre-season, but you can see that we have goals in us, so I'm not at all concerned about that.

"Since the change in formation, we've looked a lot more comfortable defensively and created a lot more chances.

"That final little ball has sometimes let us down, but you can see that we certainly are capable of adding a bit of ruthlessness and being a bit more clinical in the final third."