Kane bangs the drum as Rylands maintain four-point lead at the top

By Garry Clarke Pictures Mark Percy

WARRINGTON Rylands maintained their four-point lead over Workington at the top of the NPL West table with a hard-fought 2-0 win over neighbours Runcorn Linnets in front of a crowd of over 500 at Gorsey Lane.

On a tense afternoon, both sides looked nervous at the start. The visitors looking to claim a playoff spot started the faster enjoying the better of the opening exchanges but could not find a way past a resolute Rylands defence. Goalkeeper Graeme McCall was called into action around the half-hour mark to punch away a dangerous free-kick and the resultant corner.

Rylands disrupted by the late withdrawal of two players in the morning and forced into a reshuffle after an injury in the warm-up started to find their feet despite being forced to make two injury-related substitutions in the first half.

Rylands broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, a Declan Walker cross from the right-wing found Andy Scarisbrick in the Runcorn area; he knocked the ball down into the path of Kane Drummond who calmly smashed the ball into the roof of the net from six yards.

Rylands ended the first half on top, and started the second in the same manner when Scott Bakkor played in Drummond who slotted the ball past the Runcorn keeper in the first minute of the second half only to be called back for offside.

Rylands were now in control of the game and had chances to increase their lead through Scarisbrick and Steve Irwin before Bakkor slipped the ball in behind the Runcorn defence in the 61st minute for Drummond to slide the ball into the net.

In what manager Dave McNabb described as a “polished professional performance” Rylands

Shortly after the second goal Graeme McCall was called on to make his first save of the game diving smartly to his left, but most of the action centred on the Runcorn goal.

Walker, Irwin and Bakkor all fired shots wide or over the target as Runcorn’s only other attempt on goal came in the final seconds of stoppage time when McCall got down well to his left to keep out a header from a free-kick.

WARRINGTON RYLANDS: McCall Walker Hunt Neild Smith Egerton Doyle (Irwin) Lacey Webb (Bakkor) Scarisbrick Drummond (Hughes); SUBS: Tinning Buxton

RUNCORN LINNETS: Mooney Brown Short (Gumbs) Wylie (Dean), Downes O’Mahony Hayes (Welsh) Doyle Brooke Lynch Marsh-Hughes; SUBS Daly Griffiths

GOALS – Drummond 36, 61

ATTENDANCE 542 REFEREE Jordan Crossley