Pictures John Hopkins
LACKLUSTRE Warrington Town dropped two points as they were held 1-1 by Radcliffe.
Tony Gray swept home a second half equaliser to cancel out Tyrese Sinclair’s freak opener on a frustrating afternoon for the injury-hit Yellows.
They remain in the play-off places in fourth place, and unbeaten away from home.
Paul Carden named an unchanged side to the one that beat City of Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup in midweek, with new signing Greg Tansey making his debut off the bench.
It was a limp opening to the match and it was reflected in the freak opener on 18 minutes. A long ball forward was called for by Tony McMillan but Sinclair nipped in and steered it high and in to the far corner of the empty goal.
In-form Alex Byrne was being given plenty of attention by the Radcliffe defence, and in his frustration, he got a yellow card on the half hour for a foul the other way.
The first opening for Warrington came when Matty Chadwick pickpocketed Riley O’Sullivan on the left corner of the penalty area, enable him to drive in to the box, he opted to pass rather than shoot enabling Callum Grogan to nip in and clear the ball.
The visitors’ best chance fell to Byrne on the stroke of half time, his snapshot from 14 yards tipped wide by Ollie Martin in the Radcliffe goal.
The game didn’t pick up a great deal in the second half, though it did become progressively more open.
Warrington shuffled their options with the introduction of Tansey and Scott Sephton, and it paid dividends almost immediately, Chadwick getting in behind and poking across the ‘keeper for Gray to bury right-footed from six yards out shortly before the hour.
The hosts, who had largely sat back since their opener, almost hit back straight away but for an incredible stop by McMillan, after Riley O’Sullivan had entered the box on the left.
O’Sullivan and Sinclair were causing the Yellows problems, and the former then struck the post from a narrow angle.
At the other end, set pieces were providing the most threat for the Yellows, the ball somehow being kept out from a Byrne corner that was glanced by Chadwick just past Mark Roberts.
Byrne had a shot blocked and the rebound was blocked by Martin’s feet, before the ball was headed out from under the cross bar with Sephton waiting.
When Ben Garrity headed over from Byrne in injury time it all but confirmed the draw, and both sides had to settle for a point.
Warrington are next in action on Saturday when they take on FC United away in the FA Cup, before hosting the same opponent in the league on Tuesday week.
Radcliffe: Martin, Swaby-Neavin, O’Sullivan, Haywood, Grogan, Hughes, Sinclair, Winter, Wharton, Ellis, Wolfenden. Subs: Brown, Crothers, Smith, Mitchley, Hooper.
Warrington Town: McMillan, Raven (Tansey), Barnes, Duggan, Roberts, McCarten, Byrne, Garrity, Gray, Dixon (Sephton), Chadwick. Unused subs: Jennings, Richards, Warren.
