WARRINGTON Town kept their faint play-off hopes alive with a vital 2-1 victory over fellow play off contenders Clitheroe as substitute Ash Ruane helped secure all three points with a goal of the season contender.WARRINGTON Town kept their faint play-off hopes alive with a vital 2-1
victory over fellow play off contenders Clitheroe as substitute Ash
Ruane helped secure all three points with a goal of the season
contender.
Town manager Shaun Reid made four changes to the starting line up from the midweek defeat against Burscough, re-introducing Phil Doran, Phil Davies and Liam Dawson back into the starting line up and handing a debut to Sam Coulter.
It was Clitheroe who started the brighter of the two sides, and should have gone ahead after only four minutes, striker Chris Mason finding himself through on goal, only to see his shot saved by Chris Dibble in the Warrington goal, before full back Chris Smalley saw his header clip the top of the cross bar.
After these early let offs, Town began to get into the game, with Ciaran Kilheeney shooting straight at Clitheroe keeper Hakan Burton, and Dawson seeing his shot deflected narrowly wide of the upright soon after. Half way through the half, the visitors had a great chance to go ahead, but former Town striker Dean Canning could only shoot wide of the upright when through on Dibble’s goal. Just after the half hour, Town took the lead against the run of play, a towering header from centre half James McCarten was saved by Burton, but not cleared properly, this allowing Andy Fowler to slam home his first goal for the club from a narrow angle. Fowler drove at the keeper soon after, before the same player saw his powerful drive tipped around the post by Burton.
The first chance of the second half once again fell to Mason, who saw his shot saved by Dibble when through on goal. A number of substitutions from both sides disrupted the flow of the game, and meant that for a while, chances were at a premium, Mason seeing his header saved by Dibble. The introduction of livewire striker Ashley Ruane from the substitutes bench gave Town fresh impetus going forward, despite this it was the visitors who went closest to scoring, Mason seeing his effort blocked on the goal line by Town’s stand in captain Nat Kerr.
As the game ran down, momentum changed, and it looked like Town were the most likely to score again, ex Liverpool midfielder David Mannix seeing his free kick tipped over the bar by Burton, before the same player saw his in-swinging corner strike the crossbar, having utterly defeated Burton, the ball canoning away to safety.
Town increased their lead in the 86th minute, with a goal of the season contender from Ash Ruane, whose first time dipping half volley from 30 yards flew over the retreating Burton and into the corner of the net, to give Town the advantage that they were never to lose. Deep into injury time, Clitheroe pulled a goal back, a long ball over the top, saw substitute Isaac Kusaloka lob the ball over the advancing Dibble and into the empty net.
Town: Dibble, Sam Coulter (d)(Kinsey, 85), Doran, Kerr (c), Davies, McCarten, Fowler, Mannix, Kilheeney, Newby (Ruane, 68), Dawson (Mooney, 54), subs not used: West, Glass
