BURSCOUGH handed Warrington Town their second league defeat of the season and in doing so completed a double over Shaun Reid’s men.
All the goals came in the second half as Burscough ended Town’s 11-game unbeaten run as they followed up their 4-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in August.
Former Warrington striker Will Jones scored a brace, either side of a wonderful goal by dynamic midfielder Eddie Toner.
Reid made one change from the weekend’s 3-0 win at Kendal, bringing in on-loan midfielder Michael Grogan from the start in place of Chris Lester, with Nathan Burke shifting right from his usual central midfield role.
The most interesting part of the first 20 minutes was the battle between Town striker Ben Deegan and Burscough centre-half and captain Anthony Brown, which ultimately Brown came out on top of.
Toner had the first meaningful chance of the match on the quarter mark, holding off Burke and stretching to get a shot away that came back off the inside of the far post.
At the other end, Deegan got away from Brown to get a header to Scott Metcalfe’s left wing cross, but it fell wide.
Brown picked up a yellow card for clattering Deegan shortly after, and he was helpless when Metcalfe’s cross flashed across the goalmouth on the stroke of half time, and the sides went in goalless after the break.
Within two minutes of the restart, Burscough hit the front. Michael Monaghan put a slide rule pass through the middle of the Town defence and Jones sprung the offside trap to slide past the wrong-footed Karl Wills.
Burscough followed that up with a second blow six minutes later to take a firm grip on the match. Toner took a quick free kick, the ball made it out right and inside via Jones and then eventually was passed inside back to Toner who curled a right foot shot in to the top right corner from the edge of the box.
Town finally awoke from their slumber ahead of the hour mark, Deegan going close with an acrobatic effort and then defender Daniel O’Donnell found a way back in to the match, finishing at the back post for 2-1.
The momentum only lasted for 10 minutes or so, the best chance falling to Deegan who lofted an effort over the bar after goalkeeper Calvin Hare had rushed out to deny Burke.
Substitute Lester laid off Metcalfe, whose swerving shot hit the side netting, but that turned out to be the closest Town would come.
As the hosts chased the game late on, Burscough dealt the final blow, Jones grabbing his second after Tolani Amotola had held up the ball down the right and pulled back from the by-line.
The defeat means Town have been replaced at the top of the Evo-Stik League First Division North by local rivals Northwich Victoria, though rivals Glossop North End lost their first game of the season on the night.
Warrington Town: Wills, Brown, McQuade (Wharton), Ventre, McCarten, O’Donnell, Grogan (Lester), Burke, Kilheeney (Gillespie), Deegan, Metcalfe. Unused subs: Robinson, Turner.
Burscough: Hare, Camozzi, Devine, Brown, Ryan, Rice (Scofield), Monaghan, Toner, Jones, Conway (Amotola), Jewell (Williams). Unused subs: Smith, Beesley.
