TEN man Warrington Town earned a point with a battling 2-2 draw at
Trafford after recovering from being a goal behind and the sending off of Kyle
Hamid early in the second half.
Trailing 1-0 at the break Town looked in trouble early in the second half when they were reduced to 10 men for the second consecutive game as Hamid, back for his first game following a three match ban, saw red for a second bookable offence.
But unlike at Durham the sending off galvanised the Town team, who equalised through Rob Hardwick (pictured top) and then took the lead on the hour from a Dale Wright (pictured right) free kick.
They were the better team for much of the second half with Hardwick and young winger Liam Shipton both outstanding.
Trafford grabbed an equaliser from the penalty spot with keeper Paul Pritchard saving the shot only to see it spin up in the air and blow back into the net from a strong gust of wind.
In what was his second game since his appointment, Shaun Reid, welcomed captain Mike Tomlinson, Kyle Hamid and Liam Shipton back into the starting line up, from the 7-1 defeat at Durham the previous Saturday, replacing Kevin Townson, Andy heald and Dale Wright in the line up.
It was the home side who started the brightest, winger Kamahl Whight only being denied by a last gasp challenge by Nick Jackson as he was about to pull the trigger from six yards, the closest Town came early on, was through Rob Hardwick, who chased down, what appeared to be a lost cause, forcing Trafford keeper Andy Robertson to block his shot from close range.
With the Urmston weather getting worse as the game went on, it made the game somewhat difficult for both sides, with heavy rain and strong winds affecting the game, neither side were in top form, but in the 24th minute, the home side hit the front, midfielder Joe Shaw rising unmarked in the box, to head home winger Whight’s pinpoint cross. It was Hardwick, who was causing most of the problems for the Trafford rearguard, the striker slipping over as he shot just after the half hour, with his shot going narrowly over the crossbar. It was the same player who had Town’s last chance of the half, blasting over from distance, when perhaps a pass to the onrushing Chris Thompson, may have been the best option.
Whatever Reid said to his troops during the half time break certainly worked, as Town came out and looked a different team in the second half, but the first chance fell to Whight, who saw his low shot from a corner well saved at his near post by Town keeper Paul Pritchard. Seven minutes into the second half, Town were reduced to ten men, when Hamid picked up his second yellow card and dismissed from the field. Within four minutes of going a man down, Town found an equalising goal, and it was that man Hardwick once again, chasing a long pass, before challenging Robertson and slotting the ball into the empty net.
Town now had their tales up and took the game to their hosts, midfielder Mike Reid cutting in from the right, before shooting powerfully into the side netting. Trafford were forced into shooting form distance and it was former Town midfielder Gareth Thomas who went closest with this, his shot going narrowly wide of Pritchard’s upright. With just under a quarter of the game left, Town took a deserved lead, Dale Wright capitalising on a foul on Hardwick, to rifle home a free kick from 25 yards, one which Robertson, will feel he could have done much better with, as the ball appeared to squeeze under him and into the net. Just under 60 seconds later, Trafford were awarded a penalty, when Jackson was adjudegd to have made a foul in the box, Shaw seeing his penalty saved by Pritchard, who saved the follow up, before being finally beaten by the wind.
In what was now a very open game, it was Trafford full back Paul Ashton who went close soon after, seeing his shot screw wide of the upright. The home side thought they had won the game, with twelve minutes left, but somehow, between pritchard, who produced a fine save, and an excellent Town rearguard action, saw them clear the ball from the danger area. Town’s best late chance fell to Hardwick, whose late run saw him beat the Trafford offside trap, only to see his lobbed effort go narrowly over the crossbar, with Robertson statuesque.
Town: Pritchard, N Jackson, Roberts, Kinsella, M Jackson, Tomlinson (c), Reid, Thompson (Wright, 63), Hardwick, Hamid, Shipton, subs not used: O’Brien, Glass, Tom Williams, Anderson
Kyle Hamid saw red
Liam Shipton was outstanding
