MARK Beesley hailed the togetherness of his Warrington Town side as they secured back-to-back victories and clean sheets on Tuesday evening.
Despite having to play the final quarter of the game with 10 men following Mitch Duggan’s sending-off, Town ran out 1-0 victors at Lancaster City.
Having got off the mark in a Yellows shirt at Liversedge on Saturday, Southport loanee Connor Woods got the game’s only goal at the Giant Axe.
The result lifts Town into the Northern Premier League Premier Division play-off places on goal difference after their first back-to-back league wins since the opening two games of the season.
“I thought the spirit and togetherness we showed was outstanding,” Beesley said.
“They put their bodies on the line when we went down to 10 men, we got in a good shape without the ball.
“The togetherness we’ve shown all the way through really came through. It was a different type of win to Saturday at a difficult place to come.”
Watch highlights from the game below
Duggan – not long back from a nine-game ban for a red card in last season’s play-off final – was sent off midway through the second half for an alleged stamp on Lancaster’s Brad Carroll.
His manager says the defender protested his innocence after the game and that the club will assess video evidence before deciding whether or not to appeal.
“I didn’t see the red card as we were in the process of making a sub,” he said.
“Mitch has said he didn’t stamp on him – he said he couldn’t get out of this way – and I believe him. He’s devastated in there.
“We’ll have a look at the video and if we can appeal, we’ll appeal.”
They made one change from the side that won 4-0 at Liversedge on Saturday, with Josh Seary coming in for the injured Andy White and Duggan switching to left-back.
The Yellows started the game brightly without carving out any opportunities and it was the Dolly Blues who forced the first save of the game, Tony Thompson getting down well to deny Dale Whitham’s side-foot shot from the edge of the box.
Thompson also saved well from Brad Hubbold’s shot through a ruck of bodies off a corner, but it was the Yellows who broke the deadlock on 26 minutes.
Moments after Eddie Clarke had been denied by Sam Waller when through, Matty McDonald slid a short pass through to Woods and he side-footed home.
Woods, Clarke and Luke Duffy were proving hard to handle and they had a half-chance shortly after when Clarke opted to pass rather than shoot and Woods was offside.
Lancaster’s efforts were disrupted by two enforced changes through injury and they found it tough to break through the excellent Evan Gumbs and Tom Hannigan at the heart of the Yellows defence.
The game was livened up by a controversial decision on 68 minutes, when Duggan saw red for a clash with Brad Carroll.
Carroll had won the ball back with a tough tackle on Duggan and though his trip on Carroll seemed a fairly regulation foul, the referee produced a red card after consulting his assistant for an alleged stamp.
That prompted a backs-against-the-wall effort for the visitors but as it turned out, Thompson didn’t have a save to make.
Carroll flashed a shot wide from the set piece that came from the red card and that would be the closest Lancaster would come.
In fact, Josh Amis could have added a second late on, drawing a superb save from Waller with a header.
Town: Thompson, Seary, Duggan, Hannigan, Gumbs, Harris, Duffy, Williams (Amis), Woods, McDonald, Clarke (Walker). Subs not used: Mols, Mfuni
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