Report: Southport 2-0 Warrington Town

Warrington Town ended 2024 with defeat to Southport for the third time this season, in a third different competition.

Having bowed out to the same opponent in the FA Trophy and Cheshire Senior Cup, the Yellows couldn’t gain revenge in the first league meeting of the two this season, going down 2-0.

The game was well poised at half-time, but after Danny Lloyd lashed the home side in front nine minutes after the restart, Warrington couldn’t find a way back, and Sonny Hilton’s strike killed the game as a contest with 24 minutes left.

Warrington, naming an unchanged starting line-up from the one that beat Buxton at the weekend, started brightly and Joe Rodwell-Grant forced a smart stop from Chris Renshaw on 10 minutes after Matty McDonald had opened up the Southport defence.

But the hosts gradually got control of the game through the middle, and they had the better of things from the midway point of the first half, without really creating anything of note.

The biggest talking point of the first half came from an unusual incident where Southport ‘keeper Renshaw appeared to stick a knee out at Elliot Morris while claiming a routine header back, and although the referee blew the whistle to stop the game for Morris to receive treatment, he didn’t give any decision of note and the game restarted a few minutes later with a drop-ball in midfield.

Southport came out in the second half with intent and they controlled it virtually from start to finish.

The excellent Jamie Proctor fired an early warning shot, his shot curling wide of Dan Atherton’s right hand post.

A brief foray up the other end for Warrington ended in two Matty McDonald strikes hitting team-mate Finlay Cross-Adair.

Southport made their pressure tell though when after both Lloyd and Proctor had shots blocked, the loose ball fell to Lloyd in the box in the central position and he lashed home in to the roof of the net.

The same duo linked up for the second goal barely 10 minutes later, Evan Gumbs’ poor clearance enabling Lloyd to enter the box and although Proctor’s shot was blocked, the ball sat up nicely at the back post for Hilton to slide home.

Despite introducing Josh Amis and Connor Woods for welcome returns off the bench, the Yellows never looked like getting back in to the match, with Amis coming closest with a scuffed shot towards the near post in the closing stages.

The Yellows are in action at home to Marine on New Year’s Day.

Southport: Renshaw, Doyle, Knight-Percival, Quansah, Moore, Minihan, Philiskirk, Hilton (Williams), Burgess (Morgan), Lloyd (Angus), Proctor. Unused subs: Thomson, Keane.

Warrington Town: Atherton, Gumbs, Douglas, Clarke, Hont (Woods), McCourt (Harris), McDonald (Amis), O’Neill, Morris, Rodwell-Grant, Cross-Adair. Unused subs: Amaral, Dixon.

Post-match reaction

Manager Paul Carden gives his honest thoughts on our Boxing Day defeat.