All smiles at the Quickline Logistics Arena as Warrington Rylands secured a massive 3-1 victory over fellow promotion chasers Gainsborough Trinity in the Northern Premier League, claiming three valuable points against one of the division’s most in-form sides.
Before kick-off, supporters observed a wonderful planned tribute to commemorate Remembrance Sunday, taking place tomorrow. We will remember them.
Onto the football, and it was the visitors who registered the first meaningful attempt of the afternoon. Harvey Sutcliffe took a pop shot from distance, stinging the gloves of goalkeeper Luke Pilling. Rylands responded through Ben Hardcastle, who tested David Robson’s reflexes with a powerfully struck, dipping drive.
The Blues continued to pile on the pressure, with top scorer Harrison Wood next to threaten. His turn and strike inside the area forced Robson into action, with the goalkeeper only able to parry the effort wide for a Rylands corner. From the resulting delivery, Charlie Munro’s sweeping first-time cross was met by the head of Calum Costello. Despite being one of the smaller players on the pitch, Costello rose above the crowd to glance a header into the far corner, leaving Robson rooted to the spot. 1-0 to the Blues!
A heart-in-mouth moment soon followed as Patrick Gamble was penalised for a high challenge on Connor Brown, raising the possibility of a denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity. However, the referee deemed the incident to be too far up the pitch for a red card, and Rylands’ number three escaped with a booking. The hosts nearly doubled their advantage from an almost identical corner routine, with another glancing Costello header requiring just one touch from George Waring to find the net, but the forward couldn’t quite make contact. A let-off for Trinity.
Rylands had an even greater opportunity when captain Dean Furman delivered a delicious through ball over the Gainsborough defence, allowing Wood to race through one-on-one with Robson. However, on a rare occasion, even the league’s most prolific strikers can get their finishing wrong, and Wood couldn’t find the target. The Blues wouldn’t have to wait much longer for their second, though, as Furman found Munro with a pass that left the midfielder with acres of time and space. Munro unleashed a fizzing, swerving effort that proved too hot to handle for Robson, who could only get a flailing hand to the ball as it flew into the net. Two goals to the good!
Within two minutes of the restart, Rylands were in dreamland. Wood finally and deservedly got himself on the scoresheet with a brilliant finish from outside the box, giving Robson absolutely no chance as the ball kissed the inside of the left post on its way in. Phenomenal stuff from the number seven, who is absolutely flying this season.
However, Gainsborough weren’t about to let the afternoon get away from them. Almost immediately, the visitors produced a silky counter-attack, finished off by captain Lewis Butroid, to pull one back and stun the home crowd. Three goals in the space of just five minutes had completely transformed the afternoon. And with that, the referee brought an end to the first half, with Rylands heading into the break holding a 3-1 advantage.
After the restart, Hardcastle then tested Robson once again from distance, producing a practically carbon-copy effort of his earlier attempt. Following another Blues counter-attack, substitute Jawad Jebrin appeared to have been brought down inside the penalty area after a mazy run, but the referee was having none of it, instead booking Rylands’ number 15 for simulation. As the afternoon wore on and the sun began setting over the stands, Jebrin was then pickpocketed by Trinity substitute Theo Williams, who found Ben Blythe completely unmarked at the far post. Had it not been for Matthew Regan getting in the way, the visitors would surely have found an equaliser and given themselves a huge boost of momentum.
Gainsborough continued searching for a way back into the contest, with substitute defender Ashton Offler attempting an ambitious bicycle kick that, had it been directed either side of Pilling, would have proved extremely difficult to keep out. In the dying embers, it looked as though Jebrin might finally get his first home goal for Rylands. Sprinting through the tiring defence, he found himself one-on-one before choosing to square the ball to Wood, whose effort was superbly blocked by Jack Leckie. Hardcastle was played through moments later, but Robson once again came to the visitors’ rescue with a superb left-legged save.
Shortly afterwards, the full-time whistle confirmed a vital 3-1 victory for the Blues, providing a huge boost of momentum ahead of another exciting contest on Tuesday night against fourth-placed Guiseley, who have also secured their place in the FA Cup Second Round.
Match Report by Jack Dowling