Photo: Jordan Vaughan
NATIONAL League North side Marine flexed their muscles to knock Warrington Town out of the FA Cup.
A headed goal by a centre-back in either half saw the Mariners through in the third qualifying round clash, as the Yellows couldn’t make the most of a first half where they enjoyed the better of the play.
Marine took control in the second half and when Josh Wardle headed in on 55 minutes there was only going to be one winner.
Warrington Town welcomed back Ewan Bange and Lewis Earl to the starting line-up, with Bange immediately keeping the Marine centre halves busy and Earl having the first chance of the match, a left-foot shot fired over on seven minutes.
Jack Goodwin showed good strength to beat his man on the left and cut inside and push a shot wide, before Reece Daly benefited from some Bange hold up play to drive a shot that whistled barely inches over the crossbar.
Marine had only mustered a couple of corners in return but it was from one of them that they took the lead midway through the first half, Declan Drysdale getting above Evan Gumbs to head in at the near post.
George Newell then headed over from Fin Sinclair-Smith’s cross before a lovely ball by Charlie Jolley hung up for Ben Darby at the back post and he was denied at point-blank range by Mateusz Hewelt.
A crucial tackle by Josh Doherty snuffed out Jolley as he broke through the middle but it was the Yellows who ended the half stronger, Daly denied by Jack McIntyre and then when the ‘keeper was beaten by Bange, his shot was cleared off the line by former Yellows defender Jack Doyle to keep Marine in front at the break.
Marine stepped things up in the second half and when Wardle pounced on some hesitation to head home Sinclair-Smith’s bouncing cross, it never looked like Warrington could come back.
Sinclair-Smith fired just over the bar, but the Yellows never really created any clear cut opportunities, substitute Ben Elliott having a couple of half chances off scrambles from corners.
After playing five of their last six games in cup competitions, Warrington now return to league action with back-to-back home games against Workington on Tuesday night and Lancaster next Saturday.
Marine: McIntyre, Abankwah, Doyle, Whelan, Drysdale, Sinclair-Smith, Newell (Kattah), McAleny (Huby), Jolley (Hilton), Wardle, Darby. Unused subs: Timmins, Butler, Gregson, Potter.
Warrington Town: Hewelt, Burke, Doherty (McNally), Earl (Elliott), Gumbs, Butler, Edwards (Bayode), Bjork (McHugh), Bange, Daly, Goodwin (Hawkins).
