Salford City 3 Warrington Town 1
TOWN travelled to in form Salford City, looking to get back to winning ways after a recent blip in form which has seen them slip back towards the bottom of the league.
The game was very open to begin with and Richie Mottram was soon called into action to tip a dipping shot over the bar. The home side took the lead in the 18th minute, when a Stuart Rudd free kick went under the wall and past an unsighted Mottram into the corner.
Town were still in the game, and pushed forward looking for an equaliser, with Rob Dutton firing straight at the home keeper shortly afterwards. Town were level in the 33rd minute, when Jimmy McCarthy’s effort took a slight deflection to go in off the post. Both sides had half chances before half time, with Mike Grogan coming close for Town, seeing his shot smothered by Andy Robertson in the Salford goal.
The key moment of the half happened in the 45th minute when Paul Bowes was sent off for kicking out at Rudd after a tackle saw them tangled up.
The second half began with the introduction of substitute Franny Smith, and it was Smith who went close shortly afterwards when his drive went narrowly over the cross bar. Town were in control of the game at this stage and went close through McCarthy and Dutton. But Salford began to make their extra man count and it was no surprise when they took the lead, midfielder Latham Forrester firing an angled drive through a packed penalty area. Town almost equalised against the run of play shortly afterwards, when Chris Gahgan’s shot was scrambled off the line, the same player went close shortly afterwards with a weak shot after a jinking run. The game was ended as a contest in the 90th minute when substitute Steven Moore blasted home.
Town: Mottram, Dutton, Hardwick, Kielty, Bowes, Grogan, Hadland, O’Donnell (Smith, 46), Lamb (Stewart, 86), McCarthy, Gahgan, subs not used: Chetcuti, Daniels
Picture by John Hopkins… Lamb goes near for Town
