WARRINGTON Town crashed to their fourth straight defeat going down 2-4 to local rivals Witton Albion in the Evo-Stik League Cup at Cantilever Park last night.
Prior to kick off manager Joey Dunn (pictured above) was presented with the Manager of the Month Award for September in recognition of the team remaining unbeaten from the start of the season.
But October has been a very different month with Warrington bowing out of three cup competitions and tasting their first league defeat.
Last night Town were hoping to put their two previous cup defeats behind them and handed a debut to Alan Collins, a striker, recently, signed on loan from Southport.
The game began in a very entertaining manner, with Witton’s prolific striker Andy Kinsey being the first to go close, volleying over when well placed.
Warrington almost took the lead in the 10th minute, striker Gavin Salmon beating the offside trap, but seeing his shot parried by Witton keeper Matt Cooper and the ball being cleared off the line by defender Ben Harrison. Once again, Kinsey went close shortly afterwards, forcing a fine low save by Town’s keeper Paul Pritchard.
Town took the lead just before the half hour when Chris Gahgan got on the end of a fine Town attack to blast home from the edge of the box, a shot which may have taken a slight deflection. Town’s lead only last five minutes, before the visitors found an equaliser, Kinsey being on hand to slot home, after Prichard’s poor clearance under pressure from striker Carl Frost. In a game that was end to end, Town went close to scoring soon afterwards, Anthony Hickey playing a fine one,two with Salmon, before seeing his drilled shot well saved by Cooper’s legs.
Despite being end to end, defences took over and chances became at a premium for the rest of the half, with a long range effort from Frost being the best that the visitors
could manage. Despite this, Town regained the lead on the stroke of half time, Gavin Salmon robbing the last defender in the penalty area before advancing and coolly slotting home past Cooper from the angle and into the bottom corner.
The second half was once again an open affair, with both sides looking to score goals, Salmon being the first to go close his shot from a very narrow angle being deflected away for a corner by the visitors. Town began to have the best of the game, with Salmon seeing his pull back for his on rushing colleagues knocked away by the visitors.
It was slighly against the run of play, when the visitors found an equaliser, a high ball into Town’s goal was not properly dealt with by the Town defence, Pritchard being forced into a save with the ball eventually falling to substitute Ashley Stott, who coolly dispatched the ball into the unguarded net. The visitors were almost in the lead two minutes later, Pritchard having to produce a fine low save to deny Harrison’s towering header. Both sides continued to create chances, Hickey seeing his curling effort go straight at Cooper, Gahgan seeing his goalbound effort blocked by the visitors defence and Salmon’s excellent low square ball being put behind for a corner. Right on the final whistle,Witton found a way through and took the lead, a cross field ball finding winger Calum Botham in acres of space and he duly disaptched the ball past Pritchard
and into the bottom corner. Less than a minute later, The visitors scored again to put a slightly harsh look to the scoreboard, when Kinsey capitalised on a rare mistake by Town’s skipper Mike Tomlinson to slot home past Pritchard and to ensure the visitors place in the hat for the next round.
Warrington will be looking to get back to winning ways when they visit Trafford in the league on Saturday, kick off 3pm.
Town: Pritchard, Potter, T Hardwick, Duffy, Tomlinson (c), Finley (R Hardwick, 85), Hickey, Wade, Alan Collins (d), Salmon, Gahgan, subs not used: Rutter, Millington, Anderson, Bathurst
To hear Joey Dunn’s after match comments on www.radiowarrington.co.uk CLICK HERE
