INTERVIEW: Lancaster City boss says team is "on a roll" after win over Warrington Rylands 1906

Lancaster City boss Mark Fell was "made up" for his first-time goalscorers as the Dollies recorded their first home league win of the season.

Speaking exclusively to Beyond Radio after City's 2-1 win over Warrington Rylands 1906, the blues' boss said his side “were well worthy” of the win, a result that means they are now out of the relegation zone.

It was also the Dollies' second successive win after victory in the FA Trophy at the weekend.

“In the first half it was a fairly even contest and we took our chances when they were presented to us," he said.

"In the second half, we were much the better team and looked very dangerous on the counterattack. We limited them to the goal, which is a comedy of errors, and a chance that went wide halfway through.

“It was a succession of our performance on Saturday.”

LISTEN to Mark Fell speaking after Tuesday night's game:

Fell was full of praise for the two goalscorers.

“I’m made up for them both. Kyle (Brownhill) has been excellent and he allows us to release him down that left hand side, gets so high and he’s such a threat to deal with. With Pat (Allington), he’s come up three or four leagues and not looked out of place.

“Him with Calen Gallagher-Allison who, for 19 years-old, was unbelievable. He ran 30 yards in the first half to make that clearance and moments like that win you the game.

“We brought Brad Carroll off to protect him, to be able to put Nozza (David Norris) on was great because it doesn’t mean you’re having to put square pegs in round holes. I said to the lads at half time, some of you will have to play through the pain barrier today – all we can ask is that they give their all for the club, and they did that tonight.”

(Mark Fell is pictured below speaking to our reporter Ross Chapman.)

Next up for the Dollies is another Warrington team at home on Tuesday (October 18), this time Warrington Town, who lost 2-0 to Gainsborough Trinity on Tuesday.

Fell said “Warrington won’t want to come here next Tuesday, it’s the last thing they’ll want to do.

“It’s a shame we don’t play on Saturday because we feel we’re on a roll.”

A goal both sides of half time, one from wing-back Kyle Brownhill and the other from centre-half Patrick Allington, both of them scoring their first goals for the club, was enough to see off the Blues, but Kelly N’Mai did pull one back for the visitors.

In a first half that started off rather slowly, the first real chance came from Rylands and the league’s top scorer Callum Dolan, whose attempt was blocked.

A follow-up chance then came, but Sam Waller in between the Lancaster sticks saved from Sam Egerton.

Nico Evangelinos, the Dolly Blues’ hat trick hero on Saturday, nearly opened the scoring with just over a quarter of the game played, but his effort was a tad too high.

Later in the half, Calen Gallagher-Allison produced a vital block, denying Callum Dolan in what looked like a one-on-one situation with Waller until the 19-year-old centre half stepped in.

After a great attacking move, City took the lead when Kyle Brownhill, left unmarked in the Blues’ box, slotted it in from close range following ‘keeper Joel Torrance’s initial attempt to keep the ball out of the net, and scored his first goal for Lancaster.

Lancaster started the second half as they had ended the first, full of confidence and playing positively.

A free kick from about 25 yards out by Brad Hubbold found the head of Patrick Allington who doubled the lead and got off the mark for the club he joined last month.

Rylands halved the deficit only a couple of minutes later after Kelly N’Mai, the visitors’ most dangerous player on the night by far, capitalised on a defensive mix-up. The away side could not get the equaliser however, and the home side looked like they could regain their two-goal margin.

As full time approached in Lancaster, there were plenty of attacking moves from both sides but the finishing touch was lacking. Sam Bailey, from wide to just outside the box, put his laces through the ball but it flashed past the face of goal.

Christian Sloan was one of the subs that Mark Fell brought on as the clock ticked down. Sloan was last season’s directors’ player of the year award and was making his first Giant Axe appearance of the season on Tuesday following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Despite the pressure that Rylands applied at times towards the end of proceedings, their attackers were no match for City’s defence who stood firm to deny a leveller.

Any of the three centre-backs would have been well worthy of the man of the match award, and it was given to captain for the night Jamie Mellen shortly after the referee’s final whistle.