Tom Peterson’s first goal for the club and a Sean Lawton own goal on the stroke of half-time was enough to secure victory for Michael Ellison’s team, maintaining their seven-point gap to second-placed Hednesford Town with six matches still to play.

The result also secures a guaranteed play-off place for the Whites while also condemning their Staffordshire-based opponents to relegation.

Ellison made five changes to the side that drew 2-2 with Wythenshawe Town last time out, with Peterson, Sam Bird, Jack Byrne, Alex Cherera and Sharif Deans all recalled into the starting XI.

Jack McGowan, James Steele and Matty Rain all dropped to the bench while Jack Walls and Ben Rydel weren’t included in the travelling squad.

It was a convincing win on the road for Widnes, who in truth, really should have recorded a wider margin of victory that would have greater reflected their dominance.

They went close inside the game’s opening 50 seconds when Sean Miller fizzed a ball towards the back-post where the stretching Cherera couldn’t grab an elusive touch on the ball to divert it goalwards.

But the Whites took the lead after just 12 minutes.

Miller floated a deep free-kick into the area that was headed back across goal by Louis Isherwood towards the back-post where Peterson had cleverly peeled away from his marker to head home the opener.

The offside flag prevented a second Widnes goal just three minutes later.

Another Miller set-piece caused Hanley all kinds of problems with Byrne helping the ball back towards the penalty spot where Deans reacted quickest to turn the ball beyond Adam Whitehouse and into the net, but it was chalked off after linesman Justice Abaka-Jacobs had raised his flag.

Deans then spurned a glorious chance to double his side’s advantage.

He did everything right. His first touch to bring down Miller’s excellent defence-splitting pass was perfect, but with only keeper Whitehouse to beat, the forward sliced his shot off target when it was perhaps easier to score.

Widnes came again on the half-hour mark with Harry McGee having a shot charged down before Deans felt he should have been awarded a penalty after he was felled by Joe Mwasile, but referee Jordan Brooks waved away the travelling appeals.

Hanley then threatened for the first time in the contest.

Scott Dundas’ team worked a short corner routine and after the initial cross had been dealt with, a collision between Niall Battersby and Jack Wakefield sent the ball looping into the air where Joel Stair rose highest to force a really good diving save out of Mark Halstead.

The game’s second goal came four minutes before the break in nightmare fashion for Hanley right-back Lawton.

He rushed his back pass under pressure but an awkward bounce caused Whitehouse to completely mis-judge it as he went to trap the ball, and he watched in agony as the ball rolled into the net.

Whitehouse atoned for his error early in the second half when Widnes were awarded a penalty.

Peterson was bundled over by Callum Besford but Miller couldn’t capitalise from 12 yards, first being denied by a strong Whitehouse save before heading his rebound wide of the post.

Widnes threatened a third when Deans swung a delicious cross into the area that McGee couldn’t direct on target with his head before Miller had a deflected effort well saved in the game’s closing moments.

All in all, it was a comfortable afternoon for Ellison’s team who return home to the DCBL Stadium next Saturday to take on Witton Albion (3:00pm).

Hanley Town: Whitehouse, Lawton, Besford (Bonser 61), Muirhead, J. Stair, Briscoe (c), Svarc (Barlow 74), Taroni, Mwasile (Cropper 38), Cooke, Wakefield (T. Stair 61)

Sub not used: Nixon

Widnes: Halstead, Bird, Isherwood, Battersby, Byrne, McGee (McGiveron 90), Irwin (c), Cherera (Renato 81), Peterson, Miller, Deans (Steele 83)

Subs not used: McGowan, Rain