FC United and Warrington share spoils in feisty contest
FC United missed the chance to move into the play-off places as they were held 1-1 by promotional rivals Warrington Town at Broadhurst Park on Saturday afternoon, in front of 1,850 supporters.
The Reds took the lead after 33 minutes through Dontai Gabidon and looked on course for a priceless victory before Bohan Dixon converted a penalty for the visitors with 16 minutes to go to ensure the points were shared in an even contest.
United have also been left sweating on an injury to Callum Gribbin as he was stretchered off inside the first 10 minutes after a crunching tackle by Warrington centre-back Evan Gumbs.
Gumbs was clearly intent on making the game as physical as possible and could easily have been sent off on an afternoon where he was in the thick of the action.
On this occasion, he won the ball cleanly and referee William Cavanagh deemed the challenge on Gribbin to be fair. Despite the serious injury, no free-kick was given for the seemingly deliberate and evidently dangerous follow through.
However, Gumbs did receive a yellow card on the half hour mark for an off the ball coming together with Regan Linney, which also saw the United striker booked.
Three minutes later, Neil Reynolds' side let their football do the talking to break the deadlock. Linney cut in on the left and crossed the ball in low. Two defenders fluffed their opportunity to clear the ball and instead deflected it into the air where Gabidon acrobatically smashed it into the net for 1-0.
Five minutes before halftime, Gumbs was involved again. His reckless tackle on Alex Wollerton saw the fullback flattened and a minor melee between several players from both sides briefly ensued.
Although Mr Cavanagh agreed with the FC United faithful that a free-kick was appropriate this time around, he didn’t produce a card that many wanted to see, and so it remained 11 men against 11.
The controversy seemed to fire up FC United’s supporters and players and the home side responded by almost doubling their lead on the stroke of half time. Gabidon turned provider to set up Wollerton down the right, but the fullback's shot across goal skimmed the left-hand post.
As the Reds emerged for their second half looking to add to their lead, both sides had the bit between their teeth. Warrington had the first chance seven minutes after the restart as they worked a clever free-kick just wide of the post.
FC United’s best chance to double the lead came when Linney played the ball in from the left side but – with the goal at their mercy – his teammates couldn’t find the touch to guide the ball home.
Warrington then began to turn the screw as they got the ball up into the penalty area where a fairly innocuous challenge by Luke Griffiths on Jordan Buckley led to both players tumbling to the ground and Mr Cavanagh pointing to the spot.
Although goalkeeper Dan Lavercombe guessed the right way, he couldn’t keep Dixon’s strike from hitting the back of the net to draw the away side level.
You couldn’t keep your eyes off this game for a minute as both sides put everything in to going ahead. Doncaster loanee Jack Degruchy nearly won it at the death when he forced a fingertip save from goalkeeper Anthony Thompson in the last moments of the game, but neither side could find the goal that would secure all three points.
Website man of the match: Michael Potts – another excellent performance in the engine room ensured that FC United constantly had a solid presence in there, dictating the game.
Report by Callum Scott and Matthew Haley
FC United and Warrington share spoils in feisty contest
FC United missed the chance to move into the play-off places as they were held 1-1 by promotional rivals Warrington Town at Broadhurst Park on Saturday afternoon, in front of 1,850 supporters.
The Reds took the lead after 33 minutes through Dontai Gabidon and looked on course for a priceless victory before Bohan Dixon converted a penalty for the visitors with 16 minutes to go to ensure the points were shared in an even contest.
United have also been left sweating on an injury to Callum Gribbin as he was stretchered off inside the first 10 minutes after a crunching tackle by Warrington centre-back Evan Gumbs.
Gumbs was clearly intent on making the game as physical as possible and could easily have been sent off on an afternoon where he was in the thick of the action.
On this occasion, he won the ball cleanly and referee William Cavanagh deemed the challenge on Gribbin to be fair. Despite the serious injury, no free-kick was given for the seemingly deliberate and evidently dangerous follow through.
However, Gumbs did receive a yellow card on the half hour mark for an off the ball coming together with Regan Linney, which also saw the United striker booked.
Three minutes later, Neil Reynolds' side let their football do the talking to break the deadlock. Linney cut in on the left and crossed the ball in low. Two defenders fluffed their opportunity to clear the ball and instead deflected it into the air where Gabidon acrobatically smashed it into the net for 1-0.
Five minutes before halftime, Gumbs was involved again. His reckless tackle on Alex Wollerton saw the fullback flattened and a minor melee between several players from both sides briefly ensued.
Although Mr Cavanagh agreed with the FC United faithful that a free-kick was appropriate this time around, he didn’t produce a card that many wanted to see, and so it remained 11 men against 11.
The controversy seemed to fire up FC United’s supporters and players and the home side responded by almost doubling their lead on the stroke of half time. Gabidon turned provider to set up Wollerton down the right, but the fullback's shot across goal skimmed the left-hand post.
As the Reds emerged for their second half looking to add to their lead, both sides had the bit between their teeth. Warrington had the first chance seven minutes after the restart as they worked a clever free-kick just wide of the post.
FC United’s best chance to double the lead came when Linney played the ball in from the left side but – with the goal at their mercy – his teammates couldn’t find the touch to guide the ball home.
Warrington then began to turn the screw as they got the ball up into the penalty area where a fairly innocuous challenge by Luke Griffiths on Jordan Buckley led to both players tumbling to the ground and Mr Cavanagh pointing to the spot.
Although goalkeeper Dan Lavercombe guessed the right way, he couldn’t keep Dixon’s strike from hitting the back of the net to draw the away side level.
You couldn’t keep your eyes off this game for a minute as both sides put everything in to going ahead. Doncaster loanee Jack Degruchy nearly won it at the death when he forced a fingertip save from goalkeeper Anthony Thompson in the last moments of the game, but neither side could find the goal that would secure all three points.
Website man of the match: Michael Potts – another excellent performance in the engine room ensured that FC United constantly had a solid presence in there, dictating the game.
Report by Callum Scott and Matthew Haley
