Champions pick up another league win

CHAMPIONS Warrington Town maintained their record of having scored in every league match this season with a come from behind 3-1 victory at Radcliffe Borough.

It took the introduction of regular starters Danny Ventre, Ally Brown and recently crowned league Player of the Year Ciaran Kilheeney to spark Town in to life after a lacklustre first half saw them go in a goal down.

Centre-back Daniel O’Donnell scored a brace of headers from Ventre deliveries before top scorer Kilheeney made the points safe in the final minute from the penalty spot.

It was a much changed Warrington side from the one that secured the league title with an emphatic 6-1 win over Prescot on Saturday.

Reserves stopper Nathan Butler replaced Karl Wills in goal, while Liam Turner, Craig Robinson and Michael Lea all came in along the backline.

Warren Beattie was handed a rare start in midfield alongside Jack Rudge, while Phil Dean and Steven Gillespie also featured in the 11 at kick-off.

Gillespie looked the most likely to make something happen in an uneventful opening 20 minutes, that ended with a Turner cross flash right across the face of Craig Cheetham’s goal.

The hosts though took the lead with the first shot of the game. Tricky striker Jody Banim dispossessed Robinson and then fired a shot across Butler for 1-0.

Banim was the main menace for the Town defence, and he forced Butler to push a shot wide shortly after.

As it was, his goal was enough to separate the sides at the break, and within five minutes of the restart, Warrington had used all three of their substitutes.

The pattern of the game changed, and from the hour mark, the visitors were dominant.

After a lengthy spell of pressure, Gillespie fizzed a shot just over the bar following some patient build up play on the right.

Then on 69 minutes, the equaliser came, O’Donnell heading home from Ventre’s deep inswinging corner at the back post.

Warrington were starving the hosts of both possession and field position, and they hit the front seven minutes later.

Ventre played a short corner in to Dean who returned the ball, and another deep cross again found O’Donnell to power a header home at the back post.

Radcliffe were reduced to some hopeful counter attacks in reply, with only one timely Robinson interception to note as they struggled to make any in-roads past a typically solid Town defence.

Dean poked a shot wide before a bizarre situation that led up to a Town free-kick saw Ventre’s effort charged down.

It was apt that two days after picking up the top gong at the league’s awards dinner, Kilheeney was able to have the final say.

He stepped up to get his name on the scoresheet with a penalty kick after a somewhat controversial penalty was given by the referee in the final minute.

That goal takes Town to 118 for the season – a league record.

Warrington end their highly memorable and successful season with a trip to second placed Spennymoor Town on Saturday (3pm).

Radcliffe Boro: Cheetham, Forbes, Walters, Valentine, Lafferty, Bainbridge (Ashburner), McMahon, Smith, Hulme, Banim, Rokka (Lofthouse). Unused subs: Daniels, Hindle, Gianotta.

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