WARRINGTON Town continued their impressive recent form with a comfortable 2-0 win at Hyde United.
First half goals from Adam Hughes and Jack Mackreth had the game virtually won inside the first 11 minutes as the Yellows made it four straight wins to go second in the Evo-Stik Premier League.
In doing so, they also continued their strong defensive run, passing the 600 minute mark without conceding a goal during the second half and ‘keeper Tony McMillan didn’t have a save to make.
The Yellows set the tempo from minute one and they’d had a couple of half looks at the Hyde defence even before taking the lead on seven minutes.
A free-kick was won right outside the right corner of the box and Hughes stepped up to curl a beauty in to the far top corner, out of reach of the goalkeeper.
The lead was doubled less than five minutes later as Josh Amis flicked on for Mackreth, who used Tony Gray as a decoy and then drilled a shot low past the ‘keeper.
The visitors were well worth their 2-0 lead and it could have been more in the opening half hour as Hyde struggled to live with them in midfield.
They just couldn’t carve out the opening to add a third before the break, despite both Vassallo and Gray getting in behind on a number of occasions, with Josh Amis’ shot going well over the bar.
Despite that dominance, it was very nearly a calamitous start to the second half for the Yellows as Dave Raven’s sliced clearance was left for each other by McMillan and Hughes, allowing Chib Chilaka to get in and poke goalwards, with Hughes scrambling back to clear off the line.
It was to prove Hughes’ last meaningful contribution as he went down with what appeared to be a hamstring injury minutes later and was eventually forced off to be replaced by Adam Carden.
Hyde had grown in to the game after the half time break, though it was Mackreth who had the best chance of the early knockings of the second half, knocking the ball past his man and then dragging a shot just wide of the far post.
The hosts hopes of a comeback were dashed on the hour mark when Ross Daly was shown a straight red card for a foul on Gray.
It meant a fairly routine final half an hour for the Yellows, who kept the ball well and could have had a third when Amis broke clear and fired just wide of the keeper’s left hand post.
Warrington are back in action on Saturday when they host Marine at Cantilever Park (3pm kick-off).
Hyde United: Crook, Harrison, Brownhill, Daly, Hughes, Fagbola, Jones (Brown), Lipka, Chilaka (Greaves), Mulholland (Rothery), Pratt. Unused subs: Boyle, Quansah.
Warrington Town: McMillan, Duggan, Hughes (Carden), Garrity, Roberts, Raven, Mackreth, Beeley, Gray (Evans), Amis (Brodie), Vassallo. Unused subs: Dixon, Dunn.
Pictures John Hopkins
