Match report | Warrington Town 2-0 Salford City U23s

Stand-in skipper Josh Amis scored twice as Warrington Town coasted to a 2-0 pre-season victory over a young Salford City side.

Amis was given the armband in the absence of captain Mark Roberts and he grabbed a first half brace, pouncing on a loose ball in the goalmouth and then finishing clinically when released through on goal by new signing Luke Duffy.

No Roberts meant an experimental back three for the Yellows, with Matt Regan and Evan Gumbs either side of Callum Grogan, and they were rarely troubled in front of the trialist goalkeeper.

Amis could have opened the scoring as early as the third minute when a defender stood on the ball on the edge of the box gifting the striker possession in space, his curling shot dropping wide of the keeper’s left-hand post.

He didn’t have to wait too long for a goal though, a cross to the back post by Trialist B was knocked across by Tom Warren and when the ‘keeper couldn’t keep hold of it, Amis was there to poke in to the roof of the net for 1-0 on 12 minutes.

With a fortnight to go until the Yellows’ opening league game, the manner of his finish for the second goal on 21 minutes was encouraging, scampering after Duffy’s slide-rule ball through the middle and then firing across the ‘keeper and inside the far post.

The chance for a first half hat-trick soon fell too, a shot from a tight angle from the right of the box well saved by the keeper’s body.

It remained 2-0 at half time, although Trialist A was at least forced in to virtually his only save of the match, beating away a drive from the Salford right-back from outside the box.

Chances were at a premium in the second half, with neither ‘keeper making a save of note, although the Salford stopper did have to be alert to snuff out dangerous crosses from Trialist B, who played well at right wing back, and Duffy, who gave the crowd the highlight of the afternoon with a lovely Maradona turn that got him out of a hole tight to the left touchline.

The game went through the motions in the final quarter, Trialist E shooting over from a wide position about the only action of note.

The Yellows continue their pre-season preparations with a trip to Padiham on Tuesday night.

Warrington Town: Trialist A, Gumbs, Grogan, Regan, Trialist B (Trialist D), Carney, Trialist C, Warren (Amado), Duffy (Munro), Amis (Buckley (Trialist E)), Dunn (Mackreth).