WARRINGTON Town were held to their
first goaless draw of the season at Woodley Sports but should have
grabbed all three points as substitute Gavin Salmon missed a golden
oppportunity with the last kick of the game against his former club.
Town travelled to Woodley Sports with manager Joey Dunn springing a surprise by leaving out Salmon from the starting line up, replacing him with recent signing Chris Thompson, while Alan Collins replaced Tony Evans, who limped off at Runcorn.
Both sides started the game slowly on the artificial surface with Woodley striker Mike Clarke shooting across the face of the goal. Town began to have the better of the game, with captain Mike Tomlinson going close following a goalmouth scramble.
The home side should have taken the lead, when midfielder Sam Walker found himself through on goal, only to be thwarted by an excellent low save by Paul Pritchard before striker Chris Smith shot straight at Pritchard. On loan striker Alan Collins went close soon after, but shot straight at Liam Higginbottom in the Woodley goal. Twice before half time, Town went close to scoring, firstly Chris Gahgan seeing his long range effort deflected narrowly over the crossbar, before Sam Finley got to a through ball before Higginbottom only to poke narrowly wide of the upright.
Town started the second half the brightest of the two sides and Collins was unlucky after 51 minutes to be denied when Higginbottom cleared from well outside of his penalty area, the same player went close shortly afterwards, narrowly failing to connect with a teasing cross by youngster Finley, at the far post. As the game went on, chances came to a premium, due to a combination of good defending and some wayward passing from both sides, Finley going close for Town, seeing his shot on the spin go agonisingly wide of the target, while Clarke shot straight at Pritchard.
As the game ticked towards Town’s first goalless draw for twelve months they had two fantastic chances to pick up all three points late on as firstly Hickey volleyed over from an acute angle with only the keeper to beat, before Salmon took down a long clearance from Pritchard, flicking the ball over the head of the last defender before stumbling and dragging his shot narrowly past the upright with only Higginbottom to beat.
Town: Pritchard, Duffy, Corrigan, T Hardwick, Tomlinson, Wade, Hickey, Finley, Collins (Salmon, 80), Thompson Gahgan, subs not used, Jukes, Bathurst, Millington, R Hardwick
