Aaron Haswell scored the winning goal after 63 minutes ensuring that Widnes exited the FA Trophy in the extra preliminary round for the second successive season.

Co-bosses Steve Akrigg and Kev Towey, in charge for the 100th game as joint-managers, made four changes to the side comfortably beaten in midweek at Prescot Cables.

Ben Hodkinson, James Steele, Shaun Holden and Joe Herbert were all recalled with Mike Grogan and Josh Klein-Davies dropping to the bench alongside Keenan Quansah, who has been nursing a knock.

Elsewhere, captain Sam Sheen was ruled out through illness, while Fisnik Hajdari missed his second straight game through an ankle problem.

Chances were at a premium in the early exchanges. Widnes’ Steele and Ossett’s Jack Stockdill received yellow cards as neither goalkeeper was particularly tested in the first half.

Both sides then shared half-chances. Reece Webb-Foster looked to tee up Corey Gregory but Harry Brazel recovered well to make an important intervention, before the latter lashed a volley over at the other end moments later.

Danny Shaw nodded over from a corner midway through the half for Widnes who fashioned a few decent openings but struggled to work Brett Souter. Brazel would also head off target, while Steele had an effort blocked by Bradford City loanee Jorge Sikora.

Widnes were perhaps fortunate to go in at half-time with a full complement of players after stand-in skipper Danny Ventre was only booked despite catching Stockdill with his studs, much to the furore of the home support.

In the second-half, Ossett spurned a glorious early chance to take the lead. Luke Porritt whipped a delicious cross into the area that wasn’t quite dealt with by Owen Wheeler. A loose ball fell to Haswell at the back-post, but he could only direct a header off target with the goal begging.

Heswell would ultimately make up for that chance with the game’s opener shortly after the hour-mark. He pounced on a loose Ventre header before rounding the oncoming Wheeler and finishing well from a tight angle.

Ossett had looked the more likely side to open the scoring in the second half, while Widnes had had another defensive error clinically punished.

The Whites were heading for a third successive defeat in all competitions without scoring, and their best chance fell to Steele 20 minutes from time. The youngster pulled off a magnificent turn to engineer space for a shot that rolled inches wide of the post.

That was Steele’s last contribution as the winger and Lewis Buckley made way for the physical threats of Grogan and Klein-Davies.

It was the latter who almost made an immediate impact. Ossett avoided a calamitous error at the back as Sikora took out his own keeper 25 yards from goal, which Klein-Davies looked to capitalise on. He floated a cross in, but the immense Ben Hampson tidied up and cleared the danger.

That was as close as Widnes would get to an equaliser, and despite the introduction of co-boss Towey for his first appearance of the season off the bench – his dipping cross narrowly evaded the outstretched Grogan in the six-yard area – the Whites sunk to a third loss in a row by an aggregate score of 6-0.