BAMBER Bridge stole a march on the chase for the NPL play-off places with a 2-0 win at Warrington Town.
Jamie Milligan’s side were well worth their victory, secured by a goal in either half by frontman Oliver Molloy as they avenged their defeat to the Yellows in the reverse fixture earlier this month to leapfrog them ion the table.
The visitors settled in to the game quickest and saw an early chance in the box snuffed out by Evan Gumbs, before Jack Baxter hit a free-kick from the edge of the box in to the wall.
They were finding some joy in Oluchi Nwankwo’s diagonal balls forward, and it was from a long ball forward that they took the lead. Archie Lang flicked the ball on and Molloy prodded the ball past Jamie Jones on 21 minutes.
Although there wasn’t much in the way of clear cut chances, Lang slashing a shot high and wide, Bamber Bridge were well in control at the break.
The Yellows made a change at half-time, introducing Elliot Morris, but the game continued in the same vein, Lang going on a long run through the middle and in to the box before guiding a shot towards the bottom corner that was tipped wide by Jones.
Jones then tipped over the bar following a scramble in the box off a corner, before Bamber Bridge doubled their lead on 64 minutes. Isaac Abankwah played a ball forward and Molloy sprung the offside trap and coolly slotted home.
It was only then that the Yellows woke up and within three minutes, they had hit the woodwork with their first real chance, the tireless Kallan Murphy steering a shot past the ‘keeper but off the far post.
Murphy was also denied by Aidan Dowling after good work by Morris, but the best chance fell to Troy Bourne 13 minutes from time, sneaking around the back post to get on the end of a Reece Daly corner that he could only head back across goal rather than in to the empty half of the net.
The Yellows had an appeal for a penalty waved away on 83, after Jack Doyle’s shot appeared to strike the arm of Nwankwo, but when Max Thompson blazed over falling backwards the Yellows knew the game was done as Bamber Bridge won at the Cal.Delivery Stadium for the second time this season, following their FA Cup triumph back in August.
Warrington Town: Jones, Melhado, J Doyle, Gumbs, Bourne, Vela (Butler 65), Rodwell-Grant (Thompson 65), Harris (Lloyd 79), Murphy, Daly, Kouyate (Morris 46). Unused sub: Waters
Bamber Bridge: Dowling, Churchman (Adubofour 90), Lang, Nwankwo, Knight-Percival, Abankwah, Baxter, Potts (Forbes 86), Bange (Moore 74), Molloy (Benns 90), Poilly (Allen 74).
