Beesley lauds Yellows spirit following thrilling Alfreton Town draw

Warrington Town manager Mark Beesley has praised his players for fighting back from two goals down to rescue a point at home to Alfreton Town on Saturday.

The Yellows battled their way back into the game to clinch a draw in the third minute of stoppage time to claim an important point in the National League North.

Andre Wisdom initiated the late comeback with a fine solo effort, beating a defender on the edge of the box before rounding the goalkeeper and sliding the ball into the net.

Then, in virtually the same manner in which he grabbed an equaliser in the dying breaths of the game against Farsley Celtic, goalkeeper Dan Atherton rose the highest in the box to head home Dec Walkers’ free-kick with just two minutes left on the clock, much to the delight of the 1,095 fans and manager Mark Beesley.

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“I’ve got to give full credit to the players, they’ve battled back and they’ve got that never-say-die attitude that’s been synonymous with us this year and over the last few years,” Beesley said post-match.

“We pushed and pushed and deservingly nicked a point.

“What Dan does to get that goal is because he attacks the ball in his own box, so when he goes down to the other end he does the same thing.

“It was a great ball into him and he’s attacked it, got ahead of the defender and scored – I’m absolutely made up for him.”

It was a difficult first half for the Yellows who conceded an early penalty and struggled to break down a well-organised Alfreton back-line in their attempts to find an equaliser.

It looked as though the afternoon would only get worse for Mark Beesley’s side after the visitors doubled their lead with 20 minutes left on the clock, but the ever-present steely determination that has dragged them through much of this season was on show once again tonight which started with Andre Wisdom’s goal and culminated with Dan Atherton’s header.

It’s something that Beesley has instilled into this side and he was happy to see it pay dividends once again.

“You’ve just got to keep going and keep believing. That’s what I said to them at half-time, we’re 1-0 down but we’ve just got to keep believing,” Beesley said.

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“Andre scores a great goal and he gives everybody a lift, the supporters were up and we kept believing.

“[Alfreton] had a great shape about them and it was hard to break them down, but we kept trying and a couple of decisions went against us today but they just kept going.

“I thought that we controlled the game up until the second goal which killed us a little bit. But the lads didn’t let their heads drop and they kept trying to create chances.

“For us to come back as we did shows our team spirit, not just on the pitch but also from the supporters who gave us a great lift today – it’s a good point for us.”

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