A LACKLUSTRE Warrington Town suffered a second successive defeat as they were beaten 1-0 at home to Grantham Town.
A scrappy goal from Ben Saunders, a scuffed shot that ought to have been kept out, summed up the quality of the game though the visitors were well deserving of the three points.
Looking to bounce back from a 4-1 drubbing at Spennymoor Town in midweek, Warrington named an unchanged team and threatened early on through Danny Ventre set-pieces, the midfielder looking to repeat the feat of last Saturday when he bagged two direct set-pieces against Stourbridge.
Despite enjoying the better of the first half play, Warrington failed to create any clear cut chances, with the only shot on target being a weak James McCarten header at the back post from a Scott Metcalfe corner.
They were made to pay six minutes before the break when Saunders broke the offside trap and scuffed a left foot shot across Karl Wills, who got something on it but couldn’t keep it out.
Grantham thought they had a shout for a penalty shortly before the interval, when Daniel O’Donnell caused a hefty collision in the box but the free-kick was given to the hosts.
The visitors were winning most of the physical battles and they created the first chance of the second half when Lee Shaw’s shot was strongly pushed away by Wills.
As the game entered the final quarter, even a couple of substitutions couldn’t swing the tide in Warrington’s favour, and it was Grantham who looked the more likely scorers.
Wills did well to tip a free-kick over the bar at the far post, and then saved superbly with his feet from Danny Durkin’s point blank range header.
The closest Warrington came was when Michael Grogan’s superb ball from the right evaded everyone, with James Dean, Gerard Kinsella and Sean Clancy all unable to get on the end of it.
Striker James Dean challenges for the ball – Picture John Hopkins
Substitute Mike Grogan tries to find a way through Picture John Hopkins
Warrington Town: Wills, Turner (Grogan), Clancy, O’Donnell, McCarten, Ventre, Harries (Winder), Kinsella, Kilheeney, Dean, Metcalfe (Gillespie). Unused subs: Nicholas, Rudge.
Grantham Town: Turner, Purcicoe, Storey, Carr, Galinski, Hollingsworth, Meadows, Lewis (Beckett), Saunders (Ryan), Luke Shaw, Lee Shaw (Durkin). Unused subs: Burrows, McGhee.
