WARRINGTON Campus men’s football first team ended their league slump with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over 10-man Liverpool John Moores, writes Ashley Thornton-Jones.

Goals from Denzel Edwards and Ryan Cannon had put the hosts into a comfortable lead after Curtis Williamson was sent off for the visitors.

Sam Pullinger headed home a corner late on, but Warrington held on for a win that moves them above their opponents into third.

Despite reaching the quarter final of the BUCS Cup, the home side had been beaten heavily in four of their last five league games.

Early exchanges suggested that form may continue, but the visitors never really tested Alex Bell in the Warrington goal despite controlling the majority of possession in their opponent’s half.

At the other end, Ryan Cannon proved the liveliest of the hosts' attacking line during the opening stages, but he was kept at bay well by the LJM defence.

The first meaningful attack on goal came on the half-hour mark, and it resulted in the first goal of the game.

Edwards latched onto a ball beyond the visiting back four, and he showed tremendous calmness to stroke the ball beyond the goalkeeper.

Williamson was then sent off for raising his hands to Warrington left-back Tom Keegan off the ball, although the latter can probably consider himself lucky for escaping the incident with just a yellow card.

The home side made their numerical advantage count in the second half, and only a superb save by the visiting goalkeeper prevented Josh Luckhurst’s volley from finding the back of the net, before Cannon then wasted a chance from close range.

He made amends minutes later, though, applying the finishing touch to an impressive passing move that the stretched visiting defence were powerless to prevent.

LJM should have then been reduced to nine men following a high and late tackle on Nathan Walker, but the referee’s leniency kept the visitors' hopes of a point alive.

Those hopes were strengthened further when Pullinger bundled a ball over the line from a corner late on, but Warrington’s strength in numbers prevailed as they held on for a long-awaited league victory.