WARRINGTON Town earned three valuable league points with a battling 1-0 victory at Prescot Cables.
Striker Chris Thompson pounced for the only goal of the game on 27 minutes when the Prescot keeper failed to hold a shot.
Manager Joey Dunn making a number of changes to the starting line, and it was one of those changes, Chris Thompson, who came up with the only goal of the game. It was the home side who had the first chance of the game, striker Ronnie Morgan forcing Town keeper Chris Oldfield to tip the ball over the bar, and within a minute, Town could have hit the front, a Matt Doughty free kick into the box, was left by everyone, except midfielder Dale Wright, who collected the ball at the far post, but shot across the face of the goal.
In a very open game, Cables winger, Ashley Ruane, forced another save from Oldfield. Town took the lead in the 23rd minute, when former Town keeper Mike Langley spilled Matt Doughty’s powerful free kick, and Thompson, who was following up, was on hand to slot home, into the roof of the net. Less than 60 seconds later, Town almost went further ahead, when striker Jamie Henders saw his overhead kick well saved by Langley.
Despite having a large amount of possession, Town almost conceded an equaliser, when striker Kevin Townson shot high over the bar when well placed. Henders went close once again soon after, shooting too close to Langley, having stumbled under a challenge on the edge of the penalty area.
With half time rapidly approaching, Townson went close to equalising once again, shooting across the face of the goal, from an acute angle. Thompson had two good chances to put Town further ahead just before half time, firstly, shooting across the face of the goal before seeing his shot on the turn well saved by Langley.
The second half started with Town going close once again, midfielder Adam Wade driving narrowly over the cross bar before an uncleared corner fell to defender Tom Hardwick, who saw his shot, which was destined for the top corner, well saved by Langley once again. Town had their best chance to go ahead just after the hour, when Liam Shipton shot across the face of the goal after Langley’s weak punch which fell to the winger.
A raft of substitutions saw the flow of the game interrupted, with Prescot’s former Town defender Chris Rowntree shooting high over the bar. As the game wore on, Town sat deeper and deeper and the home side had their best spell of the game, with Chris Oldfield producing a good low save to deny the home side in a goalmouth scramble, before the same player denied the home side once again.
With just under ten minutes left, Town almost had the chance to go further ahead, Langley spilling Sam Finley’s low drive, and Thompson was only denied by a last gasp challenge as he went to pull the trigger. Prescot saw their last chance of the game well saved by Oldfield as Town held on to earn a deserved three points and keep only their second clean sheet of the season.
Next up is an away trip to Bamber Bridge in the FA Cup on Saturday, who
beat Curzon Ashton 3-2 in the replay of their FA Cup preliminary round.
Town managed a 1-1 draw at Bamber Bridge last season in the 2nd qualifying round, winning the replay 4-2 at Cantilever Park.
Pictures show (from top) goal scorer Chris Thompson, Striker Jamie Henders and Sam Finley back in action.
For more pictures from the game CLICK HERE
Town: Oldfield, Duffy, Doughty, Humphreys, Hardwick (c), Wade (Hamid, 78), Shipton (Josh Kenworthy (d), 84), Wright, Henders (McGowan, 67), Thompson, Finley, subs not used: Brown, Jukes
