Yellows defeat top of the league Buxton

VIDEO: WARRINGTON Town beat top of the league Buxton 1-0 thanks to Michael Grogan’s first half header.

It was another Jekyll and Hyde performance from the Yellows, after the weekend’s almost inexplicable capitulation at the hands of lowly Skelmersdale, as they try and decide if they want to be considered genuine contenders for promotion.

This latest three points, a week after a terrific 3-0 triumph at Blyth Spartans, lifts Stuart Mellish’s men back in to the play-off places in fifth.

Witnessing the impressive victory was Warrington’s Mayor Cllr Faisal Rashid, who was enjoying his first ever visit to Cantilever Park.

There wasn’t much in the form of chances at Cantilever Park, as Buxton slipped to only their third defeat of the season and sit four points ahead of the Yellows.

For the second successive game, the Yellows suffered an early injury blow, Gerard Kinsella forced off with a hamstring injury he originally sustained at Blyth last week.

That saw Michael Grogan enter the fray in the centre of midfield for a Yellows team that was backstopped by Jon Worsnop make his debut in goal, in place of long-term number one Karl Wills, who had to settle for a spot on the bench.

Neither Worsnop nor opposite number Jan Budtz were troubled in a drab first 20 minutes.

Steven Gillespie looked the most likely to make something happen for Warrington, and had two shots well blocked before working an opening down the right which resulted in Scott Metcalfe forcing a corner.

From that set piece, Budtz spilled the ball in his box and James McCarten screwed a shot wide.

Gillespie then won the ball back in midfield and sent captain Ciaran Kilheeney racing away, and as he was closed down by a defender, tried an audacious lob over Budtz which fell just wide of the far post.

Warrington got the breakthrough on the stroke of half-time, Gillespie again involved as he found Metcalfe on the left.

Metcalfe brilliantly beat his man and then put a great ball in for Grogan to head in to the bottom corner.

Having thrown away a 2-0 lead to lose at home against Nantwich three weeks previous, the message was clear for the Yellows in the second half – not to do it again.

Buxton didn’t come out of their shell consistently enough to trouble Worsnop, who was left with little to do.

Warrington almost found a second on the hour when Kilheeney nipped in behind the defence and thought he had lifted it over the ‘keeper, only for Budtz to get a hand on it.

Metcalfe went closest, his vicious left-foot free kick from the right bounced up awkwardly off the turf in the goalmouth and came back off the crossbar.

That wasn’t his last action of note, he found his way in to the referee’s notebook six minutes from time for his fifth caution of the season, which rules him out of next Tuesday’s trip to high-flying Rushall.

Before then, Workington visit Cantilever Park with Warrington determined to avenge their FA Cup exit to the Reds in September.

After the match the Mayor presented Man of the Match Steven Gillespie with a bottle of champagne courtesy of sponsor Lymm Gin & Champagne.

Warrington Town: Worsnop, Wylie, Nicholas, Lenighan, McCarten, Shaw, Gillespie, Kinsella (Grogan), Kilheeney, Peers, Metcalfe. Unused subs: O’Donnell, Knight, Wills.

Buxton: Budtz, Williams (Brooks), Green, Ravenhill, Burns, J Bembo-Leta, Doran, Abbott, Jackson (Garnett), Taylor, Walker (Grayson). Unused subs: Everington, F Bembo-Leta.