as the Gingerbreads were pegged back from a 3-1 half time lead to go home with a point from Warrington. A second half comeback by the home side denied the Gingerbreads their first away win of the season.

“First half was the best half we have had all season.” Said joint Manager Paul Rawden. “Goals obviously help, but the work-rate and commitment of everybody for the whole game was excellent tonight and couldn’t be faulted. It’s disappointing not to have won, but we would all have taken a point at kick off from a very good Warrington side.

The Gingerbreads began with a 4-3-3- formation, pressing Warrington high up the pitch and upsetting the home side’s game plan. Early moves by the host all saw passes played too long for their front runners. Grantham got the better of midfield and Joel Carta drove a shot just wide in the early exchanges.

Jack Mackreth, caused problems for Grantham down the left hand side, forcing a switch in front of Connor Bartle with Akeel Francis and Curtin Morrison swapping sides to better support the full back. Grantham had a better balance after this change and Morrison began to torment Warrington’s Adam Carden with his pace.

After 20 minutes, Grantham took the lead. A Grantham free kick was only part cleared and when it was played back in to the near post, Lee Hughes flicked the ball on for Akeel Francis to sweep in at the back post.

Hughes almost made it 2-0 a couple of minutes later. He turned inside the box and hit a left foot shot that Warrington skipper Mark Roberts deflected wide. The home side’s equaliser came only four minutes after Grantham took the lead. A free-kick on the left edge of the box was whipped in by Scott Brown and went all the way in to the far corner of the net, eluding everyone on the way.

The Gingerbreads immediately hit back. Francis turned well with 27 minutes gone and laid a pass back for Carta. The midfielder scored his first goal for the Gingerbreads with a low drive from outside the penalty area that gave Tony McMillan no chance.

In an end to end spell, Warrington could have levelled again before Grantham extended their lead on the stroke of half time. Tony Gray and Mackreth capitalised on hesitation in the Gingerbreads back line, but Mackreth’s shot went wide of the far post.

Grantham went into the break 3-1 up thanks to a first half injury time goal. Hughes flicked on a long throw, aided by a push that was missed by the officials. Francis turned the ball in with an audacious back-hell as he faced away from goal. Despite Warrington’s protests, the goal stood.
The game changed on two substitutions early in the second half. Hughes had to come off for Grantham on 49 minutes and Warrington threw on Josh Amis ten minutes later. Both similar centre forwards, the physical presence on the Warrington front line and the loss of Hughes turned the balance of the game on its’ head.

Amis had already turned the Grantham defence, but fired wide before he pulled one back for the home side. Just four minutes after he came on, he got space between Bartle and Joe Skarz and fired home from just inside the penalty area.

Amis could have had levelled the game as he had two good chances. First with a header that Jon Worsnop got down low to save, then blazing over the bar from inside the box. The Gingerbreads should have done better with a quick break. Four against four as Morrison drove at the defence; David Raven came across to help out Carden. Morrison couldn’t get a pass away where Grantham had a man advantage and Raven and Carden won the ball.

The equaliser came on 18 minutes from the end. Worsnop spilled Carden’s cross, but seemed to recover the ball on the floor. Despite no-one going over, referee Mr Gavillucci decided Worsnop fouled Tony Gray in gathering the ball. Brown fired the penalty home to level scores again.
Francis brought a good save from McMillan in a rare Grantham break as the home side pressed hard. Despite dangerous crosses from both flanks, one of which was inches away from Gray’s head, Worsnop wasn’t seriously troubled and Grantham held out for a point that took them out of the bottom two