WARRINGTON Town held on to beat bottom of the league Sutton Coldfield Town 2-1 at a soggy Cantilever Park.
A goal inside 30 seconds from debutant Steven Jennings looked to have sent the Yellows on their way to a comfortable victory, but they were frustrated by the plucky visitors.
Having failed to convert a host of chances, a welcome second goal from Rory McKeown proved crucial before Gurjit Singh’s goal dragged the Midlanders back in to the contest.
Jennings, a midweek loan signing from Southport, went straight in to the starting line-up and made an immediate impact, drilling in to the roof of the net off James Barrigan’s lay-off.
It was a confident start by the Yellows who played some nice football inside the opening 10 minutes.
Barrigan had a shot deflected wide after linking up with Tony Gray, before he should have done better from Aboubacar Sanogo’s right wing cross.
The unfancied visitors, with just four points away from home all season, delivered a warning on 12 minutes with their first real attack, a corner swung in by Matthew Walters was headed goalwards and cleared off the line by Sean Williams.
That proved to be the only blip in a commanding first half display by Warrington, who somehow failed to double their lead before the break.
Both Barrigan and McKeown drilled across goal when well placed, and then Jamie McDonald headed over from a Barrigan cross.
Sutton shored things up after the break and started to frustrate the Yellows, but the second goal finally came on the hour mark.
Substitute Dylan Vassallo made an immediate decisive impact, breaking down the right channel and pulling back beautifully across the box and eventually it was McKeown who was best placed to side foot home first time.
That looked like being the straw that broke the camel’s back, but it wasn’t to be.
A mistake at the back by Evan Gumbs, this week confirmed as having extended his loan deal from Tranmere until January, enabled Singh to nip in and reduce arrears.
It left Warrington with 25 minutes to hold on to a three points that should have been comfortably theirs.
On 71 minutes, McDonald was agonisingly close to making sure of the points when he slid in just too late to convert Barrigan’s header across goal.
McDonald did have the ball in the net with eight minutes to play, but the assistant referee on the near side had his flag up for offside.
Williams twice went close late on with long range efforts and in truth, it was the Yellows who looked more like adding a third than ever conceding an equaliser.
Warrington are next in action next Saturday at home to Ashton United in the FA Trophy.
New signing Steve Jennings – Picture John Hopkins
Rory McKeown slips the ball home Picture John Hopkins
McDonald goes close Picture John Hopkins
Warrington Town: McMillan, Carden, McKeown, Jennings, McCarten, Gumbs, Sanogo (Vassallo), Williams, McDonald, Gray (Bakkor), Barrigan (Barnes). Unused subs: Davis, Goulding.
Sutton Coldfield Town: Ellison, Lyttle, Martin, Webb, Beresford, Kelly, Knight, O’Callaghan, Singh, Perry, Walters. Subs: Smikle, Lovett, Partodikromo, Probert.
