Ossett Albion 0 Warrington Town 3

WARRINGTON Town made it seven points out of nine with a 3-0 win at Ossett Albion to continue their climb up the league table.

New strike pairing Lee Gaskell and Stephen Tames once again started up front, and Gaskell scored his first goal for the club since arriving from Ramsbottom on Tuesday to give Town the lead on 17 minutes.

Although the visitors had a couple of half chances in the second half, the game was put to bed in the final quarter through Tom Hardwick and Louis Corrigan.

Town made an encouraging start without really creating any clear cut opportunities until the quarter of an hour mark, when Scott Metcalfe got past his man and then fired a low ball right across the goalmouth.

It was a ball in from the other side that created the opening goal of the game minutes later, Robbie Booth setting Tames free down the right, and his ball across the box was put in to the empty net by Gaskell.

Town had their tails up and started to turn the screw. Tames almost joined Gaskell in opening his account for the club when his header was superbly tipped wide of the post by Brett Souter.

Souter was almost beaten at his near post when Gaskell’s cross took a wicked deflection, but the Ossett goalkeeper was perhaps fortunate not to see red moments later when he lunged in two footed on Tames as the pair chased down a loose ball, an incident that ultimately warranted no decision from the referee as the offside flag had already gone up.

The visitors were well worth their half time lead and they almost doubled that immediately after the restart when Nathan Burke shaped to shoot and knocked it past a defender before firing in a left foot shot which came back off the foot of the post.

Town sensed an opportunity to put the game to bed, and Tames’ solo run almost created a goal before Metcalfe had his left-foot shot well saved by Souter.

Having withstood that early second half pressure, Ossett started to maintain territory for the first time in the match and they almost found an equaliser with Karl Wills twice denying midfielder Adam Jones.

A tactical switch by manager Reid, and the introduction of debutant left-back Matthew Beesley, restored Town’s control and Beesley almost created a goal with his first touch, running down the left and delivering a teasing cross which was well cleared.

Off the resulting corner by Corrigan, Hardwick got in front of the defenders at the near post in a similar fashion to how Craig Robinson won the FA Cup first round tie against Exeter, to finally get Town the second goal and make the points safe.

A third goal should have followed minutes later when another substitute, Ash Ruane, ran through and squandered a good shooting opportunity, but the icing on the cake did come on 86 minutes.

The lively Beesley did his man for pace on the outside, and his low cross could only be parried out by Souter, to the onrushing Corrigan who fired in to the centre of the goal.

Town now have another week of cup action ahead of them, starting with a trip to Workington in the Doodson Sport Cup on Tuesday night.

They then travel to face Conference side Gateshead in the FA Cup second round on Sunday, for a noon kick-off televised live on BT Sport, before a return to league action away at Radcliffe Borough a week on Tuesday.

Ossett Albion: Souter, J Riordan, Rothel, D Riordan, Milnes, Nelson (South), Walker, Jones (Lucas), Bower, McDonagh, Matthews (Muller). Unused subs: Hardaker, Brooksbank.

Warrington: Wills, Field, Corrigan, Mannix, McCarten, Hardwick, Booth (Colbeck), Burke, Tames (Ruane), Gaskell (Beesley), Metcalfe. Unused subs: Doughty, Gahgan.