WIDNES Vikings’ signing of former Super League Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final half-back Dec Patton is the club’s most eye-catching piece of business among a clutch of new recruits.

Patton, now 29, featured at scrum-half for Warrington Wolves as they defeated favourites St Helens in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley in 2019, while he also featured in The Wire’s Grand Final defeats to Wigan at Old Trafford in 2016 and 2018.

During his time with his hometown club he made two appearances for Vikings on dual registration in 2020.

Since moving on from The Halliwell Jones Stadium, the former England Knights international has become a hardened Championship half and racked up 194 career appearances, scoring 24 tries in the process.

He arrives at the DCBL Stadium for 2025 from Featherstone Rovers, whom he joined halfway through last season from Swinton Lions.

Patton also spent time in Super League with Salford and the Championship with Bradford Bulls but he is now Allan Coleman’s fourth new signing for next season.

“I’m excited to be part of what is growing here and I’m happy to have the chance to play my part,” said Patton.

“I’m hoping to bring some creativity and just hopefully add to the talent that’s already in the team.

“The club did really well last season, so hopefully we can go a step further and have another good season.

“After speaking to Allan and hearing the club’s ambitions on what they want to achieve. The chance to be a part of that is pretty exciting.”

Coleman said: “Getting Dec is a huge coup for us. He’s got bags of ability and is one of the best halves in the competition.

“He’s got an extraordinary kicking game which is something I think we need. He brings plenty of experience having played at a high level.

“We were quite lucky last year not to pick up any injuries in the halves, but we need to have quality and strength in depth if we want to challenge at the top end of the table.”

Vikings have also sorted terms with three more inbound players as well as a new head of strength and conditioning while confirming a number of retentions too.

Widnes-born forward Brett Bailey has signed a permanent deal with the club following his loan spell last season.

Bailey, 20, joins from St Helens on a one-year deal, having made two appearances for the Vikings on loan in 2024.

“I think we’re heading in a really positive direction,” said Bailey.

“It’s a new challenge for me, I loved the environment last season and it’s something that I wanted to be part of again.

 

“I think we set a standard last season by reaching the play-offs and hopefully next year we can go even further.”

Bailey also made first-team appearances for Whitehaven, Swinton, and North Wales Crusaders in 2024.

Coleman said: “Brett is a good young player who has been in a Super League set-up at St Helens.

“He’s a Widnes lad which is vital for me, to get Widnes lads playing in the jersey. He’s a player with a lot of potential, he’s got the build and all the abilities to be a really exciting addition.”

Reagan Sumner has also penned a permanent deal following his loan spell last season.

Sumner, 20, joins from Wigan Warriors on a one-year deal, having made two appearances for the Vikings on loan in 2024.

He scored on his debut for the club in the round 20 defeat to Wakefield Trinity.

“I think it’s the next step for me to play against bigger bodies and challenge myself in the Championship,” said Sumner.

“What excited me the most was the direction the club is heading in. After making the play-offs last year, it adds the drive to make them again. We’ve set the standard now.”

Sumner has made first-team appearances on loan for Barrow, Workington, and York over the last two seasons.

Coleman said: “He’s been at Wigan in that full-time set-up and he is an exciting young talent. He’s probably a perfect mixture of both Ryan Ince and Mike Butt, who are our first-choice wingers at present, so he’ll come in and he’ll challenge them for places.

“Reagan has a great work ethic, his energy levels are good and he’s got a lot of pace.”

Wales international prop Gavin Bennion has also joined Vikings on a one-year deal after making 89 appearances over two spells with Swinton.

Bennion, who started out with hometown club Warrington and has had spells with Mackay Cutters in Australia, Oldham and Featherstone, said: “The club is definitely on the way up to where it belongs,  so it was a no-brainer for me.

“I think the opportunity to play in a well-established team with some great players around me, backed by a good coaching team, will really help my game.

 “I’m hoping to bring some more size and power to our pack, along with aggression and a good work ethic.”

Meanwhile, Vikings have confirmed that Danny Langtree will be in the squad again next year after recovering from successful shoulder surgery.

Also kicking on in black and white with new deals in their pockets are Nick Gregson, Liam Bent, Max Roberts, Joe Edge and Matt Fleming.

Meanwhile, Nathan Skupski is on board as the club’s new head of strength and conditioning.

Skupski spent time with the Vikings last season assisting their support staff, and now replaces Adam Williams in the top job following his departure from the club.

“Having already been part of the team, I’m confident this will be a smooth transition,” he said.

“I’m incredibly excited to be taking over at such an important time for the club, especially under the current coaching staff.

“With Allan steering us in the right direction, I look forward to building on last season’s successes and getting stuck into a great pre-season with the lads.”

Coleman said: “He did a bit of work with us last year assisting Adam. He just seemed like the perfect replacement. He wants to be part of this group and that for me goes a long way.

“He’ll be a really important part of us having a successful year next year. If we can be fitter and stronger, then it puts us in a better position to finish higher than we did last year.”