Report: Chorley 0-1 Warrington Town

Connor Woods’ first half goal fired Warrington Town to a third win in four at the start of the National League North season away at Chorley.

Woods showed neat footwork on the edge of the goalmouth and then shot past Matt Urwin for the only goal of the game and a second successive 1-0 win.

While the win over Buxton on Tuesday night was about hard graft, this one was a little more comfortable, even if the hosts did throw the kitchen sink at the Yellows in the second half.

The visitors had the better of the opening half hour, and Woods had already forced a save out of Urwin before he broke the deadlock on 17 minutes, taking in Isaac Buckley-Ricketts’ short pass from the right.

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Buckley-Ricketts caused opposite number Adam Henley problems in the first half, which was only blighted by two yellow cards for kicking the ball away for Aaron Bennett and Sean Williams, as the Yellows continue to fall foul of the overly zealous rules.

Chorley, who had drawn their opening three matches, gradually came in to the game towards half time, with manager Andy Preece having vacated his position in the stand to bark orders at his troops from the dugout.

They struggled to create any chances of note, despite the presence of big men Jack Sampson and Louis Britton up front, marshalled excellently by Peter Clarke and Tom Hannigan.

The closest the visitors came to an equaliser was 10 minutes in to the second half, when Clarke headed off the line to deny Henley, who had got on the end of a Billy Whitehouse ball in.

Mark Beesley handed debuts to new loan signings Arran Pettifer and Dylan Mottley-Henry off the bench, though they rarely troubled Urwin in the second half, with a Williams free kick that flew a yard over the bar about as close as they came to a second goal.

There was one hairy moment towards the end, when a frustrated Tony Thompson lashed the ball at Sampson, who was frustrating the goalkeeper by giving him attention every time he tried to kick out of his hands, and though Sampson squared towards the empty goal, Hannigan was back to divert behind.

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The Yellows held on and will host an open training session for their fans on Tuesday at the UNIS Compliance Stadium, before a double-header Bank Holiday weekend away at Boston United on Saturday and home to Curzon Ashton on Monday.

Chorley: Urwin, Henley (Blakeman), Ellis, Smith, Moore, Calveley, Sampson, Shenton (Ubaezuonu), Britton (Hazlehurst), Johnson, Whitehouse.

Subs not used: Nolan, Hockenhull.

Warrington Town: Thompson, Walker, Hannigan, Gumbs, Woods (Murray), Williams, Bennett (Pettifer), Buckley-Ricketts, Duggan, Grivosti (Mottley-Henry), Clarke.

Subs not used: Atherton, Kay.