Tipton warns against complacency during run-in

Battling on: Warrenpoint manager Matthew Tipton MATTHEW Tipton insists that Warrenpoint cannot rest on their laurels in their relegation battle despite opening up a seven points gap over Carrick Rangers.

With Ards winning again on Saturday, it looks like a threeway fight for the bottom two places in the Premiership.

“They had us pinned back and weremuchthebetterteaminthe second half,” admitted Tipton. “If Carrick continue to perform like that they will win games and we can’t rest on our laurels. We have to keep pushing on, look af- ter ourselves and win games of football.”

With another three vital points in the bag and just one defeat in their last seven away league games, Tipton could afford to be magnanimous in victory but, in truth, Rangers never threatened to get an equaliser. David McAlinden could only agree.

“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb by conceding two horrific goals and it never looked likelythatwewouldcomeback,” said the Carrick boss. “It wasn’t good enough on the day.

“We had plenty of ball on the flanks but never created anything in the middle and I didn’t even see the penalty appeals at the end. But it shouldn’t have come down to that. We should have been a lot better and on the day when we wanted them to show up, we failed to deliver.”

The only person more disappointed at the end was Carrick goalkeeper Harry Doherty who has earned a number of points for his team this season but he failed to hold on to Sean Mackle’s 12th minute free kick and the lively Conor McMenamin cashed in to poke home the rebound.

Nine minutes later, McMenamin turned provider with a superb cross and Seanna Foster had time and space to drive home the second from 12 yards.

Carrick enjoyed a lifeline just before the half-hour when Warrenpoint failed to clear a corner and Paddy McNally outjumped the defence to head in Jonathan’s Smith’s cross. It was only the sixth goal in their last nine home league games and is why they remain just four points above Ballinamallard. The games after the split will decide their fate. CARRICK: Doherty, Smyth, McNulty, McNally, Edgar; Chapman, Surgenor (Morrow, 46 mins), Kottoy, Scannell (Glackin, 72 mins), Henderson (Mooney, 69 mins), Smith. Unused subs: Larmour, Hassin

WARRENPOINT: Parr, Dane, Reilly, Wallace, O’Hara, Foster (McKenna, 72 mins), Mackle, Murray, McMenamin, Forde, O’Sullivan (McGrandles, 90 mins). Unused subs: Moan, Roohi, Turker.

Referee: Raymond Crangle (Belfast)

Man of the match: Danny Wallace

Match rating: 7/10