Tom Hannigan: We must remain grounded

Warrington Town defender Tom Hannigan says the squad cannot afford to get ahead of themselves, despite their upturn in form over recent matches. 

A sequence of four wins in five matches in all competitions has seen the Yellows climb to sixth in the Northern Premier League, two points off league leaders FC United of Manchester heading into this weekend’s action.

Last Saturday’s most recent triumph, a 3-1 victory over South Shields, also helped Mark Beesley’s side progress to the second round of the FA Trophy, where they will face Guiseley later this month.

Ahead of a busy month of league and cup action, Hannigan admits his side are starting to hit their stride at the right time.

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Discussing Saturday’s cup triumph, he said: “I felt we were good value for the win on Saturday. It helps when Connor Woods scores the third virtually out of nothing, and then it was just a case of containing them in the second half. 

“We knew they were going to use their squad for the FA Trophy game, but it was about us keeping our standards high and playing our game.

“I thought we did that well and looked a threat throughout.”

It was Hannigan who broke the deadlock on Saturday with a well-taken low finish midway through the first half. 

Well-taken finish, and a third goal of the season for @TomHannigan88 on Saturday 🫵 pic.twitter.com/aeqETqop0N

— Warrington Town FC (@theyellows) October 31, 2022

He has now scored three times in all competitions following his arrival at Cantilever Park over the summer and is glad to be enjoying his football as the Yellows look to continue their recent resurgence. 

“It’s always nice to score, especially as the first goal of the game is always crucial,” he admitted.

“I normally score from inside the six-yard box so it was a long-range strike for me! 

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“You’re always hard on yourself when goals go in against you and maybe we could have done better with their goal, but it was a great touch from their lad to set him up for the finish. 

“In general I feel good about my game. I’m now playing matches 100% fit and feel in good shape, so hopefully that will continue.”

Up next is a trip to Guiseley, as Town prepare for the first of two fixtures against the Lions in quick succession. 

With Guiseley relegated from the National League North last season, Hannigan knows that there is little room to let standards slip against such quality opposition as the squad aims to record a fourth straight league win. 

LATEST NEWS: Yellows drawn at home in FA Trophy

“We can’t get too ahead of ourselves,” he said. “The league table is too congested at the moment to take a proper look at it, and we know we still have some ground to make up. 

“Guiseley will be a tough task and we’ll need to apply ourselves like we have been doing in order to get a positive result. 

“We’re getting close to a fully fit squad, and there’s competition for places which can only be a good thing going into these next run of games.”

Read more from Hannigan in the next edition of our matchday programme as we welcome Marske United to Cantilever Park on Saturday 12 November.