Moors missed out on three points in agonising fashion as Warrington Town scored with the last kick of the game to snatch a 3-3 draw at Cantilever Park on Tuesday evening.
Jamie Chandler’s side led 2-0 and 3-1 as they looked on course to win on the road for the third time this season, but the hosts mounted a spirited fightback to earn a share of the spoils deep into injury time.
The Moors boss had made two changed to his starting line-up as Will Harris was recalled after scoring from the bench on Saturday, while Owen Gallacher was also handed his full debut.
However, it was Warrington who were out of the traps more quickly and they could have gone in front inside a minute only for Aaron Bennett’s powerful drive to pick up a deflection and flash wide.
Moors’ first chance fell to Glen Taylor. Rob Ramshaw did brilliantly in midfield and flighted a pass into Taylor on the left of the box, who expertly controlled on his chest before sending a low left-footed shot just wide of the far post.
Bohan Dixon was a standout performer in the engine room for Warrington and he let fly from long range on 13 minutes, but James Montgomery went across to his left to pluck it out of the air.
Ben Pollick was causing problems for the home defence, and he almost found the net when meeting Danny Greenfield’s left-wing corner, but the header was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Warrington keeper Dan Atherton.
Some lovely football down the right saw loan star Joshua Popoola combine with Greenfield, the latter moving into space on the right side of the area to shoot on goal, but the effort flew straight at Atherton.
The pressure finally paid off on 22 minutes though. Again, Moors worked the ball well on the right and when Popoola laid a pass invitingly in front of Will Harris, the in-form front man swept a shot across Atherton and into the far corner of the net.
It got better just before the half hour when a corner in from the right was met by Taylor and his downward header was cleared off the line only for Pollock to ram home Moors’ second goal from the rebound.
Moors then had Montgomery to thank for an incredible save to protect the two-goal lead. The ball was played into the box and eventually fell at the feet of Dylan Mottley-Henry who fired an early show low across goal, but the Moors keeper somehow got down to produce an astonishing save with a strong right hand.
At the other end, Pollock almost nodded Chandler’s men into a three-goal lead when he met another Greenfield corner, but his header glanced the bar on its way over.
Warrington grabbed a lifeline in first half injury time when a deep free-kick from the right found veteran defender Peter Clarke in space at the far post and he planted a firm header into the bottom corner to make it 2-1.
Moors seemed to have made the game safe when they restored their two-goal advantage two minutes into the second half. Wonderful football on the left set Greenfield through on the left of the area and he confidently finished across Atherton for 3-1.
Still the hosts wouldn’t lie down though. A cross in from the left of the area struck Lebrun Mbeka before being brilliantly blocked by Montgomery – only for Isaac Buckley-Ricketts to ram in the rebound and reduce Moors’ lead once more.
Buckley-Ricketts was causing huge problems with his pace and direct running in the second half and he could have levelled things up on 57 minutes but his powerful shot crashed into the outside of the post.
The introduction of Sam Fielding from the bench seemed to give Moors a greater foothold in the game and they began to re-emerge as an attacking threat.
Reece Staunton shovelled an inviting cross in from the left which was met by Taylor at the front post but his flick on goal was superbly blocked by Atherton with an instinctive save.
There was even better to follow from the home keeper though. As Warrington struggled to fully clear a corner, the ball fell for Mbeka who met it with a sweet strike on the half-volley which Atherton somehow got down to get a right hand to, sending it up and over his cross bar.
The hosts then showed their teeth from another set-piece which saw a header sent towards the top corner when Ramshaw stretched to head it up off the bar and out as Moors survived a scare.
However, they weren’t so luck as the clock ticked through to the 96th minute when a right-wing corner was met by Mottley-Henry and his header evaded everyone to find the bottom corner and set of wild celebration inside Cantilever Park.
Full Time: Warrington Town 3 Moors 3
Warrington Town: Atherton, Duggan, Hannigan, Clarke, White, Mottley-Henry, Williams, Dixon, Buckley-Ricketts (Grivosti 90), Bennett (Pettifer 69), Woods (Walker 90).
Subs not used: Goudie, Smalley.
Booked: Duggan (72)
Moors: Montgomery, Mbeka, Pollock, Staunton, Popoola (McKeown 78), Ross, Ramshaw, Gallacher (Ferguson 46), Greenfield (Fielding 64), Harris, Taylor.
Subs not used: Curtis, Doherty.
Booked: Taylor (87)
Referee: Richard Eley
Attendance: 895
