THE title is in Warrington Town’s hands, and boss Shaun Reid insists his side are not afraid to embrace the challenge of leading from the front.

Saturday’s 4-2 win against closest rivals Northwich Victoria, followed by a 2-0 defeat of Brighouse on Monday, leaves Reid’s outfit nine points clear at the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League First Division North summit.

And a perfect weekend for the Yellows was complete when Northwich boss Jim Gannon left Wincham Park on Monday to take charge of former club Stockport County.

Second-placed Vics still boast five games in hand on Warrington, but Reid has no qualms in admitting the championship – and automatic promotion – is his side’s to lose.

“We are top of the league by nine points and I very much see it as being in our hands,” said the 50-year-old.

“There is a fear about winning things and being champions, but I haven’t got that fear.

“There is nothing wrong with being winners and that’s something we need to learn in this country, that it’s good to win.

“Everyone wants you to fall on your backside if you get too big-headed, but the chance to win a title only comes around once or twice in your career.”

Warrington Guardian:

Groundsman Jon Barton and chairman Toby Macormac worked hard to give Saturday’s game the go-ahead, and Reid says there is an air of professionalism running right through the club.

“Yes, they (Vics) have got the games in hand, but we have beaten them and so have Clitheroe, so they are beatable,” he added.

“We are too, but we’ve got that mentality about us now and we’re approaching games very professionally, from the players, to the chairman and everyone involved at the football club.

“It just seems to have that buzz.”

More than 1,000 fans turned out as the snow fell at Cantilever Park, but the forecast recently is for goals whenever Warrington Town play.

In fact, Vics had conceded just 10 times in the league before visiting a rampant Town last weekend.

The Yellows have now netted 15 in four outings since the turn of the year, with Ciaran Kilheeney stretching his scoring run to seven successive games on Monday and climbing top of the division’s goal charts on 21 for the season so far.

“I firmly believe if we win all our games we will win the league,” continued Reid. “We’re scoring goals for fun and keeping clean sheets.

“As a manager you think ‘where are we going to slip up?’ – Monday night at Brighouse was a tough test and it was unfair in some ways to ask my players to do it, but that’s the way the fixtures fell.

“They really dug in and kept going.”

Warrington Guardian:

Reid, whose Town side visit bottom side New Mills on Saturday, says Gannon’s return to Stockport will no doubt have an impact on Northwich’s promotion hopes.

“It’s not easy when you lose a manager and it depends whether he takes a few players with him,” added the former Rochdale midfielder.

“They have got a tough game at Ossett Albion on Saturday and we will see what that brings.

“We are concentrating on New Mills, which is the most important game for us now.

“We will be training on Thursday and getting ourselves fired up to take three points.

“There’s no way we will get blasé about it.”