INTERIM coach Sean Long was disappointed with Saints’ attitude, performance and subsequent failure to come away from Super League’s bottom club Widnes with a win.

Saints started slowly and failed to make much headway up the field against a surprisingly tough Widnes defence.

Although they appeared to have done enough to scrape a win, Pat Ah Van crossed for his second try nine minutes from time to take the spoils and put an end to an Easter upturn.

Long said: “To put in two good performances over the weekend and then turn up with the attitude we turned up with was disappointing.

“Full credit to Widnes, that is the best I have seen them play in a long while.

“They played with loads of energy and we got out-enthused.

“I thought we had enough sets in that second half to post more points but we did not execute.

“It cost us the game really and we did not throw enough shapes at them to challenge them.”

Saints found themselves pinned back in their own half and were smothered at the ruck, and were unable to come up with anything to counter that.

Long said: “We got mugged a little bit at the ruck. The last couple of weeks we have played really quick, having quick play the balls and our outside backs have done a great job.

“But tonight we could not get on the front foot.

“That said we still had plenty of chances to post points but we did not execute.

“The boys have been really buzzing the last couple weeks, the way we have been playing and training, and the crowd has been outstanding getting behind the team.

“But I just think we took some weak options today, taking short cuts that we had not seen for a few weeks.”

The game carries on a pattern of dropping points against the less fancied teams, with Widnes joining the list of Wakefield, Leigh and Huddersfield.

“There are no easy games any more.

“Every so called big team – Wigan, Cas, Warrington and Hull ¬ we have come up with good performances and then, as I have said in the dressing room, there are no easy games and if you turn up with the wrong attitude you come unstuck.

“I just thought Widnes fancied it more than us tonight,” Long said.

Long also confirmed that Tommy Makinson was rested for the game, citing it being at the venue where he ruptured his ACL this time last year.

It meant a first start in two years for Ricky Bailey at full back.

“It was a baptism of fire for Ricky – but you have got to keep plugging away.

“It was unfortunate that he made a couple of errors but he was still turning up on every play until the death.

“It is a learning curve and he will bounce back because he is a strong person, who trains really hard and works on his game,” Long said.