A FINE defensive performance by Phil Foster meant Northampton Saints did not have a prayer during Warwick’s slender 1-0 victory.
The Saints, then sitting pretty in third in Midlands Division One, were always likely to prove a tricky proposition in Saturday’s encounter.
But with Foster on hand to play a key role in marking Northampton’s danger man Cameron Arnold out of the game, Warwick were given every chance of securing a positive result.
And so they did, putting the Saints under considerable pressure throughout whilst being safe in the knowledge of Northampton’s counter-attack being stunted.
After the goalless opening, Warwick picked up the pace in the second half and found the winning goal when a short corner eventually made its way to Henry Frost for a simple tap in.
Warwick remain sixth, but strengthen their push for a top-two finish.
In South East Division Three, Warwick Fifths held Loughborough Town Fifths to a respectable 2-2 draw.
Having lost the reverse game 5-0, hosts Warwick were eager to make amends and twice took the lead through Gurjeevan Heyer.
While a winning goal did not surmount, it was a promising showing that gives the eighth-placed Fifths plenty of hope of improving their league position by the season end.
KIRBY Harris’ brace and one from Nicki Siarbawa gave Rugby and East Warwickshire’s Ladies a much-needed victory against Northampton Saints.
Rugby were narrow 3-2 winners in the Division One encounter in the Warwickshire Womens League, keeping them perched in sixth.
Harris struck the opener after a fine team move before Siarbawa added a second after dispatching in a one-on-one with Northampton’s goalkeeper.
While the Saints threatened a comeback, Harris swept home a ferocious shot into the net to seal a sixth win this term.
The men’s first team were 2-1 winners away to North Stafford in Midlands Division One, courtesy of Andy Walker and Chris Graham strikes, keeping them second and 11 points behind leaders University of Nottingham Seconds.
An enthralling 6-6 goal fest was played out between Boots Seconds and Rugby’s Thirds at Nottinghamshire Sports Club on Saturday.
In the high-scoring stalemate in East Midlands Premier, a hat-trick from Alex Salter, in addition to Owen Armstrong (2) and Russ Watling goals, earned the second-bottom visitors a share of the spoils.
A similar goal glut was witnessed in the Fourths’ 5-0 thrashing of Leicester Thirds in South East Division One.
Ben Stutchbury, David Manning, Rob Hedderwick, David Oddwell and Richard Cook were the hosts’ goalscorers, earning some bragging rights for fifth-placed Rugby at the expense of their rivals in sixth.
Rugby’s Sixths have stolen a march on the Fifths in Division Two after a 2-1 win over University of Warwick Fourths.
The narrow victory, coupled with the Fifths’ 6-4 defeat by Northampton Saints Fifths, pushes the Sixths up to second at the expense of their inter-club rivals.
Bradley Ferris (2), Alex Watkins and Jack Crinigan all demonstrated clinical finishing in the defeat, but could not inspire their side to an 11th victory of the season.
