Report: Peterborough Sports 3-1 Warrington Town

Warrington Town suffered a humbling 3-1 defeat on the road at Peterborough Sports, despite taking a first half lead.

Finlay Cross-Adair scored the Yellows’ first goal in open play for more than 850 minutes to put them in front on 35 minutes, but a freak goal in first half injury-time had the scores level.

Dan Atherton slipped when clearing down the right hand side, and Hugh Alban-Jones struck the ball in to the empty net from all of 45 yards.

The Yellows never recovered from that, losing Jay Harris injured at half-time having already lost Elliot Morris to a knock in the first half, and the home side were able to grab the points.

Michael Gyasi was brought down in the box by Ollie Southern, and stepped up to convert the spot kick himself and make it 2-1 on 54 minutes.

Bayley McCann made the points safe seven minutes from time, lashing home left footed from a narrow angle after Peterborough had opened the Yellows up down the left.

It could have been a different story for the Yellows after a first half, in which they created chances from the off.

Cross-Adair sliced a shot over in the opening minutes and then Morris had a ball across the box cleared off the line, and there was even a rare indirect free-kick for a pass back that resulted in Harris lashing a shot at the wall.

The best chance fell for Joe Rodwell-Grant midway through the first half, Matty McDonald driving forward and finding Morris who set it for Rodwell-Grant to curl a shot half a yard over the bar.

They did break the deadlock on 35 minutes when Harris won the ball back in midfield and set Cross-Adair away, the Fleetwood loanee driving at his man and then squeezing a shot in at the near post, the first goal the Yellows had scored in open play since Josh Amis’ half-volley at Darlington on October 26.

But the game turned with the equaliser in first half stoppage time, and the result leaves the Yellows nervously looking over their shoulder in the National League North table ahead of the Christmas period.

Peterborough Sports: Crook, Fryatt, Jarvis (Winters), Felix (Booth), McCann, Alban-Jones, Gallagher (Jones), Bland (Van Lier), Gyasi (Perreira), Gash, Lomax.

Warrington Town: Atherton, Southern (Bennett), Gumbs, Douglas, Hont, Harris (O’Neill), Dixon, McDonald, Morris (Miles), Rodwell-Grant, Cross-Adair. Unused subs: Roper, Gill.

Post-match reaction

Manager Paul Carden gives an honest assessment of Saturday's defeat at PIMS Park.