Warrington Town 2 Scarborough Athletic 0

“You’d like to think so,” manager Paul Carden said after play-off rivals Scarborough Athletic were beaten 2-0 at Cantilever Park.

“It feels like its been a long time since we had a big result like that.

“At times, we were hanging on. The wind picked up and they were bombing balls into the box.

“We’re stretched as a squad – we had three strikers and a winger on the bench today.

“Everyone’s had to do a job – some have had to do a job and a half – and that gets you places.”

Once Josh Amis – starting a league game for the first time since August – had given them an early lead, Yellows defended manfully as they came under heavy pressure from an in-form Seadogs side.

Bodies were put on the line as tension built before Jack Mackreth’s injury-time goal on the counter-attack provided a huge release of emotion inside the ground.

Prior to that, Town were indebted several times to 18-year-old goalkeeper Bobby Jones, drafted in on loan from Wigan Athletic after regular custodian Tony McMillan suffered an injury.

He only met his new teammates just before the warm-up but pulled off three superb saves to deny Scarborough.

“To be fair to Bobby coming in, what a performance,” Carden said.

“In effect, he’s won us the game.

“He’s stopped them going 1-0 up and has made two massive saves to keep us 1-0 up.

“What impressed me as much as anything was killing the game, taking his time and the quality of his kicks.

“He tipped one round the post in the first half and two in the second, one that was destined for the top corner.

“We should have scored before we did in the second half. I thought we defended the box really well.

“Today was a different type of performance.

“We had a couple more opportunities to go further ahead in the first half after our goal, which was a good goal.

“It was very well-worked – Jack Mackreth did what he does and Josh Amis did what he does.

“Today was more about the collective. There were some really good individual performances, but it was the squad that pulled it through.

“We had to make a late change with putting Scott Sephton in, who hasn’t trained for a couple of weeks.

“Everybody did a job today.”

Amis had three Scarborough central defenders to occupy in a lone role up front for Yellows, and occupy them he did.

He was in the right place at the right time to slide in Mackreth’s cross and almost turned provider for Jordan Buckley late in the second half, but his cross was somehow put wide by the substitute with the goal gaping.

Mackreth was not so wasteful in the dying embers of the game, however, when Amis’ effort came back off the post and into his path – the winger remained cool to place into the far corner.

“In both boxes, Josh was a proper handful today,” Carden said.

“That’s what we’ve missed because the ball goes up there and it stays with him.

“Even if they do win it, it doesn’t go far because he’s that much of a presence.

“They had three centre-halves today and he occupied them all.

“Unfortunately, we’ve not had enough of that this season so hopefully he stays fit and he can have a big say.”

Match facts

BetVictor Northern Premier League Premier Division

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Warrington Town…2 Scarborough Athletic…0

Warrington Town: Jones, Sephton, Warren, Duggan, Roberts, Raven, Mackreth, Brown (Gray), Amis, Dixon (Buckley), Wall (Vassallo). Sub not used: Adarabioyo

Goalscorers: Amis (15), Mackreth (90+5)

Bookings: Amis, Brown

Scarborough Athletic: Taylor, Brooksby, Spratt (Porritt), Barrett, Coates, Allan, Watson, Glynn, Walshaw, Coulson, Thomson. Subs not used: Dawson, Spence, Wright, Blott

Goalscorers: N/A

Bookings: Brooksby

Attendance: 511

Half time: 1-0

All pictures courtesy of John Hopkins