By . Pa Reporter . Stefan Marsh claimed a second half hat-trick as Widnes ensured their place in the Super League play-offs with a 32-12 victory at Bradford in a match which marked the end of top-flight rugby at Odsal. The Vikings, needing just a point to move out of reach of pre-match rivals Hull KR and Wakefield, outscored the Bulls seven tries to two with winger Paddy Flynn adding two more touchdowns and both Patrick Ah Van and Lloyd White notching one apiece. The success came after they rallied from 12-8 down at half-time and means Widnes will now contest play-off rugby for the first time. Hat-trick: Stefan Marsh is congratulated after scoring three tries against Bradford . Bradford, looking to go out on a high in their last home match before being relegated to the Kingstone Press Championship, waved goodbye to the retiring Matt Diskin. Yet the former Great Britain hooker could not feature in the game through injury, while Australian fullback Brett Kearney was among the other Bulls favourites who are leaving for pastures new. Looking to the future, Bradford handed a debut to 19-year old academy product Brad Adams at centre. The Vikings welcomed back Australian Cameron Phelps after several weeks out with a sternum injury. After boyhood Bulls fan and former Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates had performed for the crowd, and Diskin had been introduced on the pitch with his family, Widnes capitalised on a handling error by the home side to open the scoring within two minutes. The Bulls were caught short on their left side and a long missed pass from Danny Tickle put Flynn over near the corner flag, although Tickle failed to add the extras from the touchline. Play-off: After beating Bradford, Widnes have secured their place in the Super League play-offs . Flynn was in again after eight minutes when confusion, following a misplaced high bomb from Kevin Brown, allowed the ball back into Widnes hands off a Bradford player and the winger once more had a clear run to the corner. Tickle again swung the conversion wide and the Bulls hit back just three minutes later with momentum carrying Tom Olbison through an attempted tackle and over the whitewash. Luke Gale converted to take his career tally above the 500-point mark prior to his end-of-season departure for Castleford. Lee Gaskell went off temporarily after a quarter of an hour to be replaced by James Donaldson, who will remain in Super League with Hull KR next season, but the absence of their halfback would not break the Bulls' momentum as the Vikings were forced to drop out under their own posts on three occasions. Danny Williams was held up trying to touch down before the pressure eventually told and Chev Walker powered his way through a ruck of players to edge the home side in front, Gale again bisecting the uprights. Adams almost savoured a dream start to his senior career when claiming a Joe Mellor cross-kick and racing 60 metres upfield before being caught and seeing his pass go to ground. Then, 12 minutes into the second half, Adams dream turned to a nightmare as he was controversially adjudged to have knocked on a grubber kick. It appeared the ball had moved backwards, and Widnes immediately capitalised to score through Marsh. Tickle, having missed twice, this time struck the post with the ball bouncing out to leave the scores level at 12-12. It hardly mattered as barely three minutes later Marsh struck again in almost the same place to put the Vikings back in front yet, amazingly, Tickle then hit the other upright. Marsh completed his hat-trick from a Brown pass with 11 minutes to go, although it came as little surprise and to ironic cheers when Tickle kept his unwanted 100 per cent record by missing his fifth straight conversion. To rub salt in Bradford's wounds, former Bulls winger Ah Van grabbed a late sixth try and White a seventh for Widnes. With Tickle now off the pitch, Phelps converted each to leave a slightly unreflective final score.
Widnes beat Bradford 32-12 .
Vikings secure place in Super League play-offs .
Stefan Marsh claimed a hat-trick .
By . Pa Reporter . Stefan Marsh claimed a second half hat-trick as Widnes ensured their place in the Super League play-offs with a 32-12 victory at Bradford in a match which marked the end of top-flight rugby at Odsal. The Vikings, needing just a point to move out of reach of pre-match rivals Hull KR and Wakefield, outscored the Bulls seven tries to two with winger Paddy Flynn adding two more touchdowns and both Patrick Ah Van and Lloyd White notching one apiece. The success came after they rallied from 12-8 down at half-time and means Widnes will now contest play-off rugby for the first time. Hat-trick: Stefan Marsh is congratulated after scoring three tries against Bradford . Bradford, looking to go out on a high in their last home match before being relegated to the Kingstone Press Championship, waved goodbye to the retiring Matt Diskin. Yet the former Great Britain hooker could not feature in the game through injury, while Australian fullback Brett Kearney was among the other Bulls favourites who are leaving for pastures new. Looking to the future, Bradford handed a debut to 19-year old academy product Brad Adams at centre. The Vikings welcomed back Australian Cameron Phelps after several weeks out with a sternum injury. After boyhood Bulls fan and former Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates had performed for the crowd, and Diskin had been introduced on the pitch with his family, Widnes capitalised on a handling error by the home side to open the scoring within two minutes. The Bulls were caught short on their left side and a long missed pass from Danny Tickle put Flynn over near the corner flag, although Tickle failed to add the extras from the touchline. Play-off: After beating Bradford, Widnes have secured their place in the Super League play-offs . Flynn was in again after eight minutes when confusion, following a misplaced high bomb from Kevin Brown, allowed the ball back into Widnes hands off a Bradford player and the winger once more had a clear run to the corner. Tickle again swung the conversion wide and the Bulls hit back just three minutes later with momentum carrying Tom Olbison through an attempted tackle and over the whitewash. Luke Gale converted to take his career tally above the 500-point mark prior to his end-of-season departure for Castleford. Lee Gaskell went off temporarily after a quarter of an hour to be replaced by James Donaldson, who will remain in Super League with Hull KR next season, but the absence of their halfback would not break the Bulls' momentum as the Vikings were forced to drop out under their own posts on three occasions. Danny Williams was held up trying to touch down before the pressure eventually told and Chev Walker powered his way through a ruck of players to edge the home side in front, Gale again bisecting the uprights. Adams almost savoured a dream start to his senior career when claiming a Joe Mellor cross-kick and racing 60 metres upfield before being caught and seeing his pass go to ground. Then, 12 minutes into the second half, Adams dream turned to a nightmare as he was controversially adjudged to have knocked on a grubber kick. It appeared the ball had moved backwards, and Widnes immediately capitalised to score through Marsh. Tickle, having missed twice, this time struck the post with the ball bouncing out to leave the scores level at 12-12. It hardly mattered as barely three minutes later Marsh struck again in almost the same place to put the Vikings back in front yet, amazingly, Tickle then hit the other upright. Marsh completed his hat-trick from a Brown pass with 11 minutes to go, although it came as little surprise and to ironic cheers when Tickle kept his unwanted 100 per cent record by missing his fifth straight conversion. To rub salt in Bradford's wounds, former Bulls winger Ah Van grabbed a late sixth try and White a seventh for Widnes. With Tickle now off the pitch, Phelps converted each to leave a slightly unreflective final score.
By . Pa Reporter . Stefan Marsh claimed a second the Super League play-offs with a 32-12 victory Bradford, Widnes have secured their place in the