Town hit seven again

WARRINGTON Town hit seven goals for the second successive league game as they defeated Padiham to record a sixth consecutive league win.
Town led 3-2 mid way through the second half when Padiham goalkeeper Sean Davies rushed out of his goal, collided with an opponent and stayed down, enabling substitute Ashley Ruane to finish from outside of the box in to the empty net.
In truth, Davies would have struggled to get back to his station to prevent the goal, and he didn’t for the rest of the game, as he was carried off injured.
With no reserve goalkeeper on the bench, left-back Thomas Bradley took to the net, and was helpless to prevent three further goals to add gloss to the final scoreline of 7-2 in a game where newly-promoted Padiham had competed, particularly in the first half.
After back-to-back cup defeats, it was a welcome return to league action for the home side, and they took an early lead when new signing Steven Beck marked his debut with a goal, heading home in to an unguarded net after another debutant, Aaron Bowen, had rose above Davies, inside two minutes.
Beck, a central midfielder, went straight in to the starting team having been announced as signing earlier in the day, joined by Bowen, a striker on a month’s loan from Barrow.
The early goal didn’t seem to affect Padiham, and they came close to levelling the score on 20 minutes, when Warrington gave the ball away cheaply down the left, and Dominic Craig crashed his shot against the bar.
Town were given another warning minutes later when Mark Sharples stole in ahead of a hesitant Josh Cook, but fortunately for the goalkeeper, the ball ran out of play for a goal kick.
But as half-time approached, Padiham got their goal. Craig Robinson missed a through ball and as the Town defence appealed for offside, Ben Allen squeezed the ball in from a tight angle through the legs of Cook for 1-1.
Parity didn’t remain for long, however. Tony Evans, who started up front alongside Bowen, earned a free kick on the edge of the Padiham box, and James McCarten, an unlikely taker from centre half, stepped up. He curled in a fine strike from 25 yards off the underside of the crossbar, to the delight of the home crowd, and give Town a 2-1 half-time lead.
Just as they did in the first half, the home side grabbed an early goal at the start of the second. Substitute Connor Millington, on at the break for Beck, broke through from Chris Gahgan’s pass, and tried a poorly executed chip over the ‘keeper. Fortunately for him, the ‘keeper spilled the ball, and all Millington had to do was pass it in to the empty net.
The two goal cushion seemed to settle Town for a spell, although they started getting sucked back by the hour mark.
That gave Padiham the chance to seize the opportunity and get back in the game, and they did just that when Ashley Carter swept home right-footed from the left-hand side of the box after good hold up play by Sharples.
Then came the game breaking moment. Davies rushed out of his goal, collided with Bowen, and as he lay on the floor, Gahgan’s scuffed shot from 35 yards fell to Ruane, who found the empty net, much to the dismay of the away bench.
Davies left the field, the goal stood, and Town had restored their two goal lead.
It sucked the life out of Padiham, and they conceded a fifth on 75 minutes, when stand-in goalkeeper Bradley found Liam Dawson’s left foot shot too hot to handle, despite a brave save attempt.
Gahgan got his name on the scoresheet, dummying the goalkeeper one-on-one and sliding the ball home, and as the game entered injury-time, Dawson added his second, curling home a free-kick that he had won himself on the edge of the box.
Picture shows Man of the Match Aaron Bowen receiving his prize of Sunday lunch for 4 at the Devere Village Hotel from shorts sponsor Mike Matthews from Peak Associates.

Warrington: Cook, Kennedy, Thompson, Dogan, McCarten, Robinson, Gahgan, Beck (Millington), Bowen, Evans (Ruane), Metcalfe (Dawson). Unused subs: Newby, Mooney.
Padiham: Davies (Overson), Jones, Bradley, Parkes (Flint), Morris, Craig, Carter, Sharples, Allen, Pickup, Bell (Britton). Unused subs: Blades, Cunningham.