Promising start for Town

WARRINGTON Town kick started their season with a promising 2-3 victory at Evo-Stik Premier outfit Burscough in a pre-season friendly against manager Joey Dunn’s former club.
First half goals from new signing Jamie Henders (pictured below) and Sam Finlay (pictured bottom) and a second half effort from Chris Gahgan (pictured above) put Town 0-3 up.
But the hosts pulled one back and then Finlay saw red as 10 man Town managed to hold on for victory despite Burscough pulling another goal back.
Town handed a debut to a number of trialists started the game the brighter of the two sides, and went close early on through Chris Gahgan, who was playing in an unfamiliar central striking role, partnering recent signing Jamie Henders up front. It was no surprise when Town took the lead in the 15th minute, when Henders received a long pass, before bearing down on goal, steadying himself on the edge of the box, before firing home into the roof of the net, to send the small travelling contingent Behind The Goal into raptures of joy. With Town playing some very entertaining football, the extended their lead further in the 28 minute, when midfielder Sam Finley picked up a loose ball, played a cheeky 1-2 with Gahgan, before slotting home coolly into the bottom corner. Four minutes later, Town almost extended their lead further, when Henders saw his looping header cleared off the line by the back pedalling Burscough defence. Town played out the rest of the half, without the home side really creating too many opportunities on the goal of Town debutant Alex Roughsedge.
The second half was a slightly more bitty affair, as the introduction of the various substitutes in the warm sunshine began to change the pattern of the game. The second half was far more even between the two sides, and it was something of a surprise when Town went further ahead, when Chris Gahgan, picked up Henders’ pass, and rounded the Burscough keeper to slide the ball into the unguarded net, for what turned out to be the matchwinning goal. Three minutes later, the home side found a way back into the game, when a deflected free kick wrong footed Roughsedge and found the net. The home side began to look more dangerous after both sides were reduced to 10 men, with Finley seeing red for Town, but Town’s resolute rearguard, led by captain Tom Hardwick and his central defensive partner River Humphries, kept the home side out.
It was a moment of quality that brought the home side to within a goal of Town, finding a way past Roughsedge with a bullet effort from 25 yards. Once again another round of substitutes disrupted the flow of the game, and Town ran out 3-2 winners.

Town: Alex Roughsedge (d), J Kavanagh (d), L Mahoney (d), Humphries, Hardwick (c), Hamid, P Wordley (d), Finley, Gahgan, J Henders (d), M Brown (d), subs (all used) L Johnson (d), S O’Neill (d), Wade, S Pearce (d)