Report: Peterborough Sports 1-3 Warrington Town

Warrington Town returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory away at Peterborough Sports.

Connor Woods struck them in to a first half lead and they could have had more before the break as Isaac Buckley-Ricketts was denied by a superb Peter Crook save and the crossbar.

Dubem Eze marked his full debut with a goal early in the second half, firing home left-footed from inside the area, and although a ghost of the past in Michael Gash pulled a goal back, Matty McDonald made sure of the points late on.

After successive home defeats, their ninth win on the road this season means the Yellows now have the third best away record in National League North.

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There wasn’t much in the game until the 18th minute when Warrington’s top two scorers combined to open the deadlock.

Buckley-Ricketts capitalised on some hesitant defending to win the ball back high up the pitch and he laid off for Woods, who drilled a low shot home from 20 yards.

Peterborough initially responded well to the goal without creating anything of note themselves, and it was the Yellows who created all the chances before the break.

Andre Wisdom led a breakaway that saw Woods releasing Buckley-Ricketts, and his well hit shot was heading for the far corner until Peter Crook tipped wide at full stretch.

Woods, unusually for him, shot over the bar from a similar position where he normally strikes across the ‘keeper, and Buckley-Ricketts also shot over after cutting in from the left.

In first half injury time, Evan Gumbs laid the ball off for Buckley-Ricketts on the edge of the box and his shot hit the crossbar via a deflection.

That wasn’t the final chance either, Buckley-Ricketts screwing a shot just wide of Crook’s right hand post as the Yellows had to settle for a one goal lead at the break.

They didn’t have to wait much longer for a goal though as within six minutes of the restart, Eze fired a left-foot shot across the ‘keeper and in to the corner after initially looking like he had taken a touch too far wide.

There was nearly a repeat a few minutes later as Eze again found space in the box, this time seeing his high shot pushed wide by Crook.

Midway through the second half, Peterborough received a lifeline as Gash, who scored the extra winner for King’s Lynn in their super play-off final win at Cantilever Park in 2019, fired home a deflected shot at the back post with the Yellows down to 10 men. It came in a brief period where the imperious Tom Hannigan was stood on the sideline waiting for the referee to usher him back on after he had been off the field to get a bloodied lip tended to.

The Yellows wobbled for a spell and then there was a flashpoint in the 80th minute when Gumbs and Kaine Felix had a coming together and some argy bargy on the edge of the box that resulted in both players being booked, and a free-kick in the Yellows’ direction.

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That lengthy pause in play seemed to benefit the visitors more than the hosts, and they would eventually see the game out in relative comfort, made easier by McDonald’s 89th minute strike, guiding a low left-foot shot in to the bottom corner after his first touch had created space in the box.

The Yellows are now all but mathematically safe in National League North – but for a 30 goal difference swing – and are back to within three points of the play-off places.

Peterborough Sports: Peter Crook, Ryan Fryatt, Elicha Ahui, Dan Lawlor (Cuba Meyer), Ashton Fox, Josh McCammon, Dan Jarvis, Ben Fowkes, Kaine Felix, Mark Jones (Michael Gash), Rory McAuley (Matt Tootle). Unused subs: Hugh Alban-Jones, Connor Johnson.

Warrington Town: Dan Atherton, Tom Hannigan, Evan Gumbs, Jay Harris, Connor Woods (Josh Amis), Sean Williams (Matt Grivosti), Matty McDonald, Dubem Eze (Dec Walker), Isaac Buckley-Ricketts, Andre Wisdom, Peter Clarke. Unused sub: Conor O’Keefe.

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