Burscough 1 Warrington Town 3

BEN Wharton was on the scoresheet as Warrington Town secured their first win of 2015 with a 3-1 victory at Burscough.

Wharton partnered Ashley Ruane up front, and they both grabbed goals after the break to add to Craig Robinson’s first half tap-in.

It was a routine win for Shaun Reid’s men, despite Jordan Williams’ late consolation for the hosts.

Chris Gahgan was handed a rare start on the right flank and he almost broke the deadlock inside two minutes when his cross looped over the goalkeeper and came back off the bar.

In a lively start by Warrington, Ruane then found himself through on goal, only to be beaten to it by the onrushing Calvin Hare. But the goalkeeper’s clearance rebounded back off a defender on the edge of the box and rolled agonisingly wide, with Ruane just not quick enough to get a touch and score.

The opening goal came shortly before half time. Hard-working Wharton was brought down in midfield, prompting a yellow card for Burscough defender Anthony Brown, and from the resulting free-kick, Nathan Burke was found with space in the box.

He took the ball to the byline and managed to squeeze the ball across the box, the ‘keeper missed it and Robinson was there at the back post for a simple tap-in.

Warrington ended the first half with their tails up, and almost doubled their advantage when Wharton and Scott Metcalfe exchanged a one-two, before the ‘keeper pinched the ball off Metcalfe’s toes as the Town top scorer looked to finish.

They didn’t have to wait long for a second goal, though, as Wharton turned his man inside the box and fired home in the opening minute after the break.

The game was then broken up as the referee got card happy, producing four yellow cards in as many minutes for separate incidents.

One recipient of a booking was Ruane, who had the chance to make it three on 56 minutes when he benefited from hard work by Wharton, firing his shot at the ‘keeper.

The third did come some 10 minutes later. Substiute Louis Corrigan fired in a low free-kick which evaded everyone bar Ruane at the back post, and the striker cut inside to find the corner with his left foot for 3-0.

It was nearly four on 70 minutes when Corrigan’s shot came back off the post, and fellow sub Will Beesley headed home the rebound, only to be denied by an offside flag.

Burscough sniffed an unlikely comeback on 82 minutes, when Williams found the net with a shot that Town goalkeeper Karl Wills might want another go at, but Town held firm to make it four points from six in the New Year to date.

Burscough: Hare, Camozzi, Quirk, Brown (Schofield), Ryan, P Williams (Dunleavy), Joyce, Toner, Jones, J Williams, Devine (Smith). Unused subs: Beesley.

Warrington: Wills, Field, Hardwick, Mannix (Corrigan), McCarten, Robinson, Gahgan (Tames), Burke, Wharton, Ruane, Metcalfe (Beesley). Unused subs: Booth, Collins.