Warrington Town 1

St. Helens Town 0

(Abandoned after 33 minutes)

SAFETY of the players should be paramount in any sporting event but the Cantilever Park pitch on Tuesday night was only deemed too dangerous for play after a head injury was suffered.

The referee's pitch inspections at 5pm, 6pm and 7pm deemed the pitch playable but by 7.45pm kick-off time the match may as well have taken place on Sainsbury's car park - and therefore the game should never have started!

It was the only game in the North West Counties League to be given the green light on a night that must have been colder than where manager Alan Blair had gone on his skiing holiday.

But players' studs were not sinking and spectators, with eyes closed, could have been excused for thinking they were listening to a pack of horses galloping down country lanes.

After 31 minutes St. Helens full back Gareth Evans was flat out on the floor clutching his head after a challenge.

When it became apparent during treatment that he had split his head open after a bang on the floor, the referee abandoned the game.

Players left the field frustrated, not because the referee had blew his whistle on the action but because the game had even started. They were complaining that the pitch was no worse then than it had been at kick-off time.

Warrington's players seemed more keen to cope with the rock hard surface than their high flying opponents in North West Counties Division One.

That was obvious from the opening minutes as Town took the lead in the third minute.

Neil Smith, returning from a 28-game suspension, got behind his marker and netted his second goal for the club but with a tame shot that had goalkeeper John Bagnall beaten all-ends-up!

Smith mis-kicked when he had an opportunity to make it 2-0 in the 30th minute but when he laid the ball back for top scorer Andy Moore his shot was saved by Bagnall's boot.

At the other end, in the Town goal, Terry O'Hanlon had icicles dangling from his arms as he had not been troubled other than to cleanly gather in a corner kick.

Town: Terry O'Hanlon, Dave Pick, Paul Hives, Andy Tague, Lee Webster, Jamie Cavanagh, David Hennessey, Steve Lathom, Chris McDonough, Neil Smith, Andy Moore. Subs not used: Paul Anderton, Liam Sweeney, David Matthews.

Town are home to Nantwich Town on Saturday, kick-off 3pm and then travel to Atherton Collieries for a 7.45pm kick-off on Monday.