ALTHOUGH this subject may be trivial in today's world climate, I feel my views need to be aired.

I am writing to ask the people of Widnes and surrounding areas why they are not responding to the great efforts on and off the pitch at the Halton Stadium.

Saturday before last was one of the most enthralling games for years at Widnes yet just over 4,000 people could be bothered to turn out and support the club against one of the top teams in world rugby in one of its most important recent games.

The players may just have responded to the urging of a bigger crowd against superior and more experienced opposition and came up with the result, which their efforts deserved and actually made it to a Challenge Cup semi final. The armchair army may then have got off their backsides and got on the bandwagon.

This is a community club which relies on the support on the terraces to come up with the funds to enable them to compete with the bigger clubs.

I say to the stay away fans: back the great efforts which the club is making in trying to give the area a top class team with bums on seats and not bums on armchairs.

Disgruntled diehard,

name and address supplied