Paul Johnson will return to the Bulls squad for tomorrow's clash with Widnes but his first taste of Super League action since the round five win at Leigh could come from the bench.

Johnson will likely be the only change from the 17 that dispatched Huddersfield last Saturday, replacing Brad Meyers, who faces another three weeks on the sidelines following the recurrence of a medial knee ligament strain.

The return of Johnson should eventually see Jamie Langley switched from centre to his preferred slot in the back row. However, after his solid display against the Giants, coach Brian Noble may be tempted to start Langley at centre and delay Johnson's introduction until after the initial fireworks have died down.

The Bulls may have suffered some hideous reversals this season - but none have been more costly than the opening-round defeat at home to Wakefield,

followed by the inept display at the Vikings' Halton Stadium the following week.

The four points that slipped away from matches that would usually be considered bankers for the Bulls would have seen the club now sitting third, with a chance to put pressure on leading duo Leeds Rhinos and St Helens.

Instead they are fifth, locked in a dog-fight with Warrington and Hull for third place and the chance to gain home advantage for the early rounds of the play-offs.

"It is one we regret," said skipper Jamie Peacock of the reversal at Widnes.

"We have to win this week and we have to play well. I know I say that every week but we have to stay on the top of the roller-coaster, not the bottom. It would be nice to have two Ws in a row instead of a W-L."

Peacock is also aware his side cannot afford to test their fans' patience any

further following the record home loss to St Helens and the second-half meltdown against Warrington.

"A lot of fans have displayed a lot of faith in us and we want to repay them for

sticking with us through the hard times," he said. "Supporting a team is not just about the good times, but about the hard times as well.

"We know Widnes can play but I think home advantage will be big for us because they play particularly well at home, where their fans are quite vociferous.

"But they are a good team and they are playing better than at the start of the year after six months together. They are no mugs and they have a lot of experience in there."

Rotund stand-off Owen Craigie was the chief architect of the Vikings' first-ever Super League defeat of the Bulls in February and coach Noble is anxious his defensive line does not give the maverick Australian as much space to operate in this time around.

"That is the danger with Owen Craigie. If you leave him alone and he gets up to speed, he is a handful and hard to stop," said Noble.

"Widnes have gone very well and their recent record is as good as anyone's

outside the top two. They have a big pack that gets them forward and they have some talented people, like Shane Millard and Craigie, and they have just re-signed Jules O'Neill, who will give them plenty more attacking options.

"They work hard for each other and get in your face when they defend. They like to bash sides about and physically

intimidate them.

"On attack they have plenty of runners and their quality players can carve out openings for them. They have beaten us already this season so they won't lack

confidence but it is in our hands. We need to play tough and smart and if we do that we should be okay.

"The players are conscious that we were embarrassed last time and they want to do well. If they put in the same amount of application as they did last week, they will."