Report & Pictures John Hopkins
A seventh-minute goal took Warrington Rylands to victory over Guiseley at The Quickline Logistics Arena in what manager Neil Reynolds called a ‘fantastic performance.’
After two matches had been postponed due to the weather conditions, this was the first match of 2026.
Warrington started quickly, and when a perfectly placed ball from Ben Hardcastle met on-loan Harrison Wood inside the opposition’s half, he went on a determined run forward and the resultant shot went past keeper Joe Cracknell, giving Wood his fifth goal of the season in just twelve appearances for The Blues.
Unfortunately, three minutes later, Alex Kiwomya damaged his knee and was replaced by Jake Burton. Burton quickly settled into the game and was soon creating problems for The Lions.
Neither side could take full control of the match, although each had periods where they applied sustained pressure on their opponents. Like a tennis match, the flow moved from end to end and chances were a-plenty, but both teams fell short at the final hurdle.
Harrison Wood scores
Reno praised his defence, stating that keeper Pilling had very little to do and was happy with a win and a ‘clean sheet.’
“There’s along way to go and we don’t want to get complacent, but every time we step onto a pitch we will do our best,” said Reynolds.
Warrington Rylands now have three consecutive away games within a week to look towards starting on 24th January at Ashton United. Last time these met, the result was a 1-1 draw.
George Waring
