SAINTS' clash with Widnes on Friday will be an intriguing one given the number of players in the red vee who will be coming up against their home town club.

Although Mark Percival will sit out this testimonial game in his honour, there are plenty more Widnesians in the Saints ranks who will be facing the Vikings at senior level for the first time.

Widnes' loss has certainly been Saints' gain - and the most prominent of those on Friday will be former Halton Farnworth Hornets junior Lewis Dodd.

The gifted scrum half Dodd, who turns 21 on gameday, plays his first game since rupturing his Achilles against Wigan on Good Friday.

Ben Davies is another who started his journey at the Hornets before moving to Widnes Moorfield.

Ben Lane and George Delaney all started their journey on the same Wilmere Lane playing fields as Percival and Dodd, while fleet-footed Jon Bennison learned the ropes with West Bank Bears. 

Saints coach Paul Wellens said: "I don’t know whether it is by choice or design but we have managed to get a lot of Widnes kids into the system – and they have been great.

"You reference Jon Bennison, who burst on to the scene last year and did a great job.

"Then there is Ben Davies who, whenever he has been called upon when we have missed Mark Percival or Will Hopoate, has always done a great job for us.

"There are young lads like George Delaney and Ben Lane who have come into the first team squad this year.

Then of course we have Lewis Dodd back to fitness this year – another Widnesian – so we have got plenty of them.

"It will be a big night for them as well."

Percival will be a reluctant observer - missing out on the chance of playing against a few of his best mates in the Chemics ranks.

He said: "The Widnes side has a couple of my best mates in the ranks – Jack Owens and Tom Gilmore. There’s Marra (Kyle Amor) and Jordan Johnstone - there’s a good few lads who I know well.

"I am gutted I am not getting chance to play against them as we’ve not played against each other in a while.

"There’s a lot of Widnes lads in our team as well who want to show what they have been doing at the club for a couple of years.

"It’ll be a good contest."