Nine is the magic number for table-topping Town

WARRINGTON Town broke the club record for goals in a league season as they demolished Droylsden 9-0 on Tuesday night.

Captain Ciaran Kilheeney and Chris Gahgan helped themselves to a hat-trick each as Town returned to winning ways following their defeat at Northwich on Saturday.

They brushed aside talk of Northwich’s nine point deduction which had Town 19 points clear before kick-off with a thoroughly professional performance that took them to a record breaking 96 goals for the campaign.

The first half was nothing more than a shambolic defensive performance by Droylsden, who in their admirable desire to play football continued to play themselves in to trouble.

There had been a few nervy moments even before the opening goal on seven minutes, when Kilheeney intercepted a pass across the back and saw his shot saved which Gahgan was on hand to tap in the rebound.

That ought to have been enough of a warning for the hosts, but they continued to pass along their back line, rarely passing beyond the half way line and they were 2-0 down on 10 minutes. Gahgan this time turning provider, winning possession and then setting up a tap in for former Droylsden striker Ben Deegan.

Crazily, Town were having less of the possession, though when they did have it in the attacking third they always looked likely to create something.

Michael Lea’s cross from the left was flicked on by Kilheeney for Gahgan who nodded down for Gerard Kinsella, the midfielder hitting an ambitious volley with his weaker left foot well wide.

The league leaders didn’t have to wait long for a third goal, Scott Metcalfe’s low cross dummied at the front post by Deegan enabling Gahgan to tap in from three yards.

Metcalfe then intercepted a pass in midfield and bore down on goal, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper only to see it come back off the crossbar.

Another Metcalfe break created the fourth goal on 27 minutes, another low cross finding Gahgan in the middle and after his effort was blocked, the ball flicked up for Kilheeney to bring down and finish smartly.

On the rare occasion Droylsden managed to connect with any offensive passes, they did look a threat, particularly through Billy Hasler-Cregg down the left.

They hit the post shortly after the half hour mark, when the ball found Michael Pino on the edge and he struck a sweet shot off the inside of the box.

But they reverted to type on the stroke of half time, a defender losing the ball on the edge of the box to Deegan and after he was stopped in his tracks, right-back Ally Brown finished nicely in to the far corner.

Droylsden, to their credit, started the second half positively, but six minutes in found themselves 6-0 down.

Danny Ventre’s ball from the left picked out Kinsella at the far post and after his volley was pushed out by the goalkeeper, Gahgan pounced for his hat-trick.

Deegan and Kinsella both had chances stopped by the goalkeeper, before Metcalfe and Lewis Fielding had their own personal duel for a few minutes, with the Town flyer ultimately failing to get his name on the scoresheet.

At the other end, Droylsden almost denied Karl Wills his 20th clean sheet of the season when Brandon Zibaka’s effort skimmed off the crossbar.

Any reports of a respectable second half display for the hosts were torn up in the final three minutes.

Substitute Phil Dean got in down the left and finished high in to the roof of the net for 7-0, before he was then brought down in the box for a penalty.

It was hardly a test of his bottle, but upstepped Kilheeney against his former club to convert from the spot.

And the league’s top scorer was able to add his third of the night, his 27th in the league this season, in injury time, showing typical strength and speed to get in behind and finish calmly.

The win means Warrington are 19 points clear of Spennymoor Town, who lifted themselves in to second spot with a 9-0 win of their own against bottom of the table New Mills.

Droylsden: Fielding, Antoine-Clarke, Hampson, Wood, Murphy, Burke (Hewitt), Daly, Pino, Rouse (Cesaire-Linbouse), Parkinson (Zibaka), Hasley-Cregg. Unused subs: Hampson, O’Brien.

Warrington Town: Wills, Brown, Lea (Dean), Ventre (Robinson), McCarten, O’Donnell, Gahgan, Kinsella, Kilheeney, Deegan (Gillespie), Metcalfe. Unused subs: Turner, Beattie.