A penalty three minutes before the halftime break from Ashley Sammons ensured Hednesford Town made it back-to-back league victories in December after defeating ten man Warrington Town.
The Pitmen handed a debut to Spencer Weir-Daley after he had arrived from Kettering Town on Thursday, but were still missing a number of players through injury, with Cohen Bramall becoming the latest of those during the course of the week.
It was the home side that started the better as Weir-Daley saw a snapshot go wide of the post in the sixth minute before Tony Clarke fired over the bar from 12 yards following a knockdown by his strike partner.
Back came the visitors though and they were close to taking the lead in the 11th minute as Samuel Iselamni saw his header strike the crossbar from six yards out with the Hednesford defence scrambling the ball away.
The lively Iselamni then watched an effort from the edge of the box land on the roof of the net as Warrington started to take a hold of the game.
In the 35th minute Iselamni was in the action again as he turned away from two tackles before firing over the bar, while a minute later Hednesford goalkeeper Dan Crane made a great low save following a deflected effort from Rory McKeown.
After 39 minutes Iselamni broke clear from the Pitmen back line only to be denied, thanks to a last-ditch tackle by Calum Flanagan.
Three minutes later though Hednesford would go ahead from the penalty spot. David McDermott was adjudged to have been fouled and Sammons fired the ball low down the middle and although Warrington goalkeeper Anthony McMillan got a leg to it, he couldn’t stop it finding the roof of the net.
Things went from bad to worse for the visitors as they were reduced to ten men right on the stroke of halftime as Mitchell Duggan was shown a straight red card following a two-footed challenge on Clarke.
HT: 1-0
Two minutes into the second period Hednesford almost made the man advantage count when a neat-one-two saw Sammons drill in an effort that was palmed behind by McMillan.
Just after the hour mark Gavin Caines headed over the bar from a Pitmen corner before the visitors started to exert some pressure on the Hednesford backline.
The home side were lucky to escape in the 64th minute when Gerald Kinsella saw his effort hit the post and then Craig Robinson’s follow-up was diverted wide for a corner.
Twelve minutes from time Scott Harries picked out his Warrington team-mate Scott Metcalfe but he blazed his effort high and wide at the back post.
Back came the Pitmen and Sammons was denied again in the 81st minute as he saw his snap shot from the edge of the box palmed away by McMillan.
Although the visitors pressed deep into stoppage time, in the end the penalty would be enough to ensure all three points stayed with the home side.
Hednesford Town: Crane, Rowley, Flanagan, Thorley, Brenan, Caines, Sheldon, Sammons, Clarke (McNaught 71), Weir-Daley (Leek 87), McDermott (Matthews 60)
Subs not used: Mutton, Shearer
Warrington Town: McMillan, Duggan, McKeown, Ventre, Robinson, McCarten, Codling (Carden 46), Toner (Kinsella 58), Hattersley, Iselamni (Metcalfe 77), Harries
Subs not used: Shaw, Kilheeney
Attendance: 351
Star Man: Gavin Caines
Entertainment Rating: Three Stars
