Warrington Town 1 North Ferriby United 0

WARRINGTON Town are in the FA Cup first round proper for the first time in the club’s 65-year history thanks to a 1-0 win over North Ferriby United.

Marauding right-back Lewis Field scored the game’s only goal after the visitors, who play two leagues above Town in the football pyramid, had been reduced to 10 men in the second half.

It sparked jubilant scenes at the final whistle, and puts Warrington in Monday’s draw, along with the 48 clubs from Football League One and League Two, and the 31 other winners of the fourth qualifying round ties.

This was the seventh game in Town’s FA Cup run this season, which has now seen five wins, including two in replays, and they have knocked out three opponents from higher divisions - North Ferriby, Colwyn Bay (both Conference North) and Trafford (Northern Premier League).

The first half was a fairly even contest, with the best chances falling to the home side.

Striker Ben Wharton eventually got a through ball under control and fired a left foot drive goal bound, and saw it tipped wide by goalkeeper Adam Nicklin.

On 22 minutes, the best chance of the half fell to Scott Metcalfe, back in the side after serving a three-match suspension, but he blazed over the bar having done all the hard work in creating the opening for himself one-on-one.

As the half wore on, North Ferriby started to get more dominant, and their big man up front, Tom Denton, was proving a handful.

But Town’s three centre backs stood firm, and even when goalkeeper Karl Wills spilled Jamie Yates’ left-foot shot from the edge of the box, James McCarten was on hand to clear off the line from the rebound.

Tom Hardwick made two decisive clearances from dangerous crosses, and on the stroke of half time, Wills tipped over a cross from Nathan Jarman which was sneaking in to the far corner.

The half time break re-invigorated Town, and they stepped up the tempo at the start of the second half.

Great work down the left by Metcalfe teed up Wharton, who sliced the bobbling ball well wide, before a chance at the other end saw Yates’ header denied by Wills.

McCarten then nodded down David Mannix’s free kick at the back post, in to the goalmouth, but it wouldn’t come down for Wharton, and his eventual effort was deflected over the bar.

Minutes later, Metcalfe won the ball back down the left, danced through a couple of defenders and then had a shot parried wide by Nicklin.

Then came the biggest incident of the match, as the referee pulled out a straight red card for North Ferriby captain and centre-back Matt Wilson, for an off the ball incident with Town’s Steve Foster after the ball had gone out of play for a corner.

That gave Town confidence, and they delivered the sucker punch on 65 minutes.

Field, superb throughout, gathered the ball in his own half close to the touchline, played it in-field to Metcalfe, who was located in the centre circle.

Field carried on his run, springing the offside trap to race on to Metcalfe’s lofted through ball, and as Nicklin rushed out of his box, Field flicked it around him and then ran around to tap the ball in to the empty net.

Naturally, Town dropped deep to protect their advantage, and for a spell it looked like it might come at their peril.

But after seeing out 10 minutes after the goal, Town started to frustrate their opponents.

It was as the game entered the final five minutes that things got anxious, as North Ferriby forced a succession of corners.

Liam King should have done better after being released by Jarman, dragging his shot wide of the far post, before Jarman himself was then denied by a fine stop by Wills, low down to his right.

In the end, the hosts saw out the game, sparking scenes of celebration in arguably the Town’s finest day in football.

Warrington: Wills, Field, Hardwick, Mannix, McCarten, Robinson, Doughty (Davies), Burke, Wharton, Foster (Corrigan), Metcalfe. Unused subs: Booth, Ruane, Gahgan, Colbeck, West.

North Ferriby: Nicklin, Peat (Bruce), Wilde, King, Wilson, Hone, Yates (Anderson), Fry, Denton, Jarman, Clayton (Bolder). Unused subs: Gray, D’Laryea, Corner, Nicholson