WARRINGTON Town continued their unbeaten start to 2015 with a stunning 4-2 win at Scarborough Athletic.
Chris Gahgan scored twice as Town produced their second fine away performance in a week, against a team who had only lost twice at home this season prior to this one.
Ben Wharton curled home a wonderful opener from outside the box and Nathan Burke pounced on a goalkeeper clanger to book end Gahgan’s brace, as Town held off a late rally from the hosts and gain a valuable three points in their climb up the league table.
It was an afternoon to forget for Scarborough goalkeeper Joe Cracknell, and the warning signs were there early on when he hesitated to clear a back pass and thumped it against the back of Wharton on the edge of the box, only to breathe a sigh of relief when the ball just dropped wide of the post.
That brought a slow starting game to life, and Scarborough went up the other end and almost took the lead on nine minutes, with Karl Wills out fast to pressurise Gary Bradshaw in to missing the target.
Town took the lead on 20 minutes after Gahgan had held the ball up in midfield and found Wharton, who fired in a curling right footed shot from the left side which went high and wide of the keeper and in to the back of the net.
And it was a quick fire double for Town as provider Gahgan turned scorer. He raced in to space in the box and then kept his composure to take the ball inside and coolly slot past the goalkeeper with a reverse shot for 2-0.
After the double blow, Scarborough took time to steady the ship. A wonder save by Wills denied free-scoring midfielder Jimmy Beadle, the goalkeeper stretching to tip a shot on to the cross bar.
The hosts dragged themselves back in to the game five minutes before half time. James McCarten’s defensive header fell kindly for Bradford who lofted the ball through to Ryan Blott and the striker poked home past Wills.
As Scarborough looked to seize the initiative in the early stages of the second half, Town struck with the killer blow. Hesitancy at the back enabled Scott Metcalfe to nip in between two defenders and the goalkeeper, and although Cracknell got back to deny him, the ball came loose to Gahgan and he steadied himself to beat a defender and find the empty net.
The points were all but secured just after the hour mark, as Cracknell came out to clear a loose ball and completely missed it under pressure from Burke, and the young midfielder nipped in to take the ball away and find the goal for 4-1.
It should have been five moments later as both Wharton and Gahgan sprung the offside trap, and with the latter begging for a pass to set up his hat-trick, Wharton’s hesitation enabled a last-ditch tackle from Paul Robson to take the ball away.
A penalty for a foul by McCarten, converted by Bradshaw, gave Scarborough hope for the final 20 minutes, and they were twice foiled by Wills
Town could have had another goal of their own late on too, the excellent Burke racing away and shooting past the goalkeeper only to be denied by the far post.
The final whistle meant a third consecutive away win for the visitors, and their unbeaten start to 2015 stretches to five games.
The goal scorers Burke, Wharton and Gahgan
Scarborough: Cracknell, Robson, Ridley, Middleton, Lisles (Plummer), McCaffrey, Ghaicem (Corner), Beadle (Davidson), Blott, Bradshaw, Metcalfe. Unused subs: Bennett, Hughes.
Warrington: Wills, Turner, Doughty, Beattie, McCarten, Hardwick, Corrigan (Bannister), Burke, Wharton (Ruane), Gahgan, Metcalfe. Unused subs: Booth, Tames.
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