Jerome hits the target in Yellows loss to Wrexham

RUBEN Jerome came off the bench to score a well taken goal as Warrington Town were beaten 2-1 by National League club Wrexham in their latest pre-season friendly.

It was the first outing at Cantilever Park for the Yellows this pre-season and they competed well against a strong opponent, who had much of the play.

Jerome, who hit the headlines with several key goals off the bench in last season’s push for the playoffs, scored with 12 minutes to go to give Warrington hope of an unlikely draw.

The visitors had much of the play in the first half and had a golden opportunity to take the lead on 17 minutes when Chris Holroyd was released through on goal, only for his shot to be comfortably saved by Tony McMillan one-on-one.

New signing Shaun Pearson headed over from a corner and then a Wrexham trialist forced a good save to McMillan’s left.

The breakthrough came three minutes before the break, a long ball by Pearson finding James Hurst, and his cross was finished by Holroyd from 10 yards out.

In front of a 547-strong crowd, Warrington started the second half brightly without creating anything in the way of chances, and they were grateful to ‘keeper McMillan for keeping the score at 1-0, again saving well from the trialist.

The second goal did come though on 66 minutes, Scott Boden finishing well in the top left corner after Ntumba Massanka had picked up the rebound from his own shot.

Massanka thought he should have had a penalty minutes later when he went down under a firm challenge by one of Warrington’s new faces, Liam Goulding, but the referee waved it away despite significant pressure from the well-travelled visiting fans.

Jerome did give the home fans something to cheer about on 78 minutes, springing the offside trap and showing good composure to stand up his man and find the far corner with a curling right foot shot.

But it wasn’t enough to stop the Yellows falling to their first defeat of a pre-season campaign which continues at Atherton LR on Saturday.

The next game at Cantilever Park is on Tuesday night, when National League North side Southport are in town.

Warrington Town: McMillan, Beeley, Trialist, Williams, McCarten, Goulding, Vassallo, Trialist, Gray, Hines, Hughes. Subs: Jerome, Mwasile, Carden, Trialist, Trialist, Ascroft.

Wrexham: Dunn, Hurst, Jennings, Smith, Pearson, Rutherford, Carrington, Wedgberry, Kelly, Holroyd, Trialist. Subs: Dibble, Tharme, Smith, Wright, Bowden, Massanka.