Pictures John Hopkins
WARRINGTON Town staged a late fightback to preserve their unbeaten run with a 3-3 draw at fellow high-fliers Farsley Celtic.
They trailed 3-1 with 20 minutes to go, but a brace of headers from hard-working substitute Josh Amis rescued a hard earned point.
Bohan Dixon’s penalty had given them a first half lead, before a Paul Walker free-kick levelled things up at the break.
The hosts took control in the second half thanks to Dave Syers’ header and a comedy own goal by Mark Roberts, but once again the Yellows showed their steely qualities to fightback.
Warrington were forced to change system with wingers Jack Dunn and Jack Mackreth both nursing hamstring injuries, meaning Tony Gray returned to the line-up alongside Connor McCarthy.
On a poor pitch in Yorkshire, this top of the table clash took a while to get going and a wild shot from Bohan Dixon was about all either side could muster in the first quarter of an hour.
The Yellows gradually started to assert themselves on the game, and good hustling by McCarthy earned him possession high up the pitch, though he would eventually go down in the box under pressure from Lewis Turner, which the referee rightly waved away.
Neither side would create anything clear cut, a ball in by McCarthy from the left was just too far for Dixon, before a weak Gray header was easily claimed by Kyle Trennery.
It would take a penalty to break the deadlock on the half hour mark, McCarthy and Gray both working hard for the ball in the box, and the latter was barged down by Adam Clayton having just got to the ball ahead of him.
Dixon stepped up and cooly sent the ‘keeper the wrong way from the spot to give the visitors the lead.
That prompted a purple patch from the Yellows where both McCarthy and Ben Garrity would find space behind the defence, McCarthy having the best chance but unfortunately a bobble resulted in his shot being shanked over the bar when through on the ‘keeper.
After Dave Syers headed one wide at the other end, Dixon thought he was brought down by former Yellows centre back Jack Higgins on a breakaway, only to himself be penalised for handball when he landed on it on his way down.
Higgins would have a hand in the equaliser on the stroke of half-time. After Farsley won a free-kick on the edge of the box, he stood in front of the returning Tony McMillan to frustrate the ‘keeper while he organised the wall, and that prompted two talking to’s from the referee, after the second of which McMillan was booked.
The perfectly legitimate distraction technique proved worthwhile, as when the free-kick was eventually taken, Paul Walker placed it in to the left corner of the net to make it 1-1 at half time.
Neither side grabbed control of proceedings at the start of the second half but it would be Farsley that hit the front on 57 minutes, Syers getting a good connection with the header from the penalty spot and it proved too much for Mitch Duggan on the line.
Duggan was involved in a potentially gamebreaking moment just five minutes later, going down in the box after getting on the outside of Higgins, but the referee decided to book the Yellows right-back for diving instead of awarding the penalty.
Dominic Reid soon replaced Duggan but before the Yellows had even adjusted to the change, they were 3-1 down, a dangerous cross from the right was only half cleared by Evan Gumbs and the unfortunate Roberts could only hook the ball behind him and in to his own net.
That left the Yellows with a mountain to climb but they got a foothold back in the match with 18 minutes to play, Gumbs’ deep cross headed home by substitute Amis with virtually his first touch.
Ben Atkinson went agonisingly close for the hosts soon after, though their priorities soon turned to winding the clock down.
It was a strategy that failed though as on 87 minutes, Gray and Gumbs hunted the ball down in the corner and Reid’s cross came off a defender and looped up for Amis to beat the ‘keeper and tie things up.
The Yellows had all the momentum and were hungry for a winner, Gray turned his man inside and out before his shot was blocked by the last man, and then Amis charged through past two defenders but dragged his shot wide for what would have been a sensational hat-trick.
It’s a result that keeps both sides in second and third in the table.
Farsley Celtic: Trennery, Turner, Baldwin, C Atkinson, Higgins, Clayton, B Atkinson, Syers, Walker, Cartman, Parkin. Unused subs: Ellis, Bowers, Cham, Bett, Hill.
Warrington Town: McMillan, Duggan (Reid), Whittle, Gumbs, Roberts, Raven, Evans, Garrity, McCarthy (Amis), Gray, Dixon (Vassallo). Unused subs: Beeley, Carden.
Evan Gumbs
