An impudent finish from Jack Redshaw made sure the Martin Coyne era at Hyde United began with a 1-0 home win in the FA Trophy against Warrington Town.
The visitors started on the front foot, with captain Mark Vela’s defence-splitting pass finding Mark Isong in the 6th minute.
However, the 19-year-old Bolton loanee took a heavy touch on his way to goal and, on the stretch, shanked his shot into the side netting.
Hyde keeper Yusuf Mersin was on his toes moments later when former Atherton Colls striker Enock Lusiama forced him into a save low down to his right, with Jack Doyle nodding the subsequent corner well wide.
Taylor McMahon, starting at left back to accommodate a debut for central defender Jadel Musanhu, had Hyde’s first real opportunity midway through the first half.
With the Yellows’ defence scattering to pick up runners, an inviting gap opened for McMahon who zipped a 25-yard shot on target, which Liam Isherwood in the Warrington goal saw late and did well to parry behind.
Redshaw’s corner resulted in Lewis Rawsthorn and Jake Dunwoody both having short-range efforts bundled off the line.
With the Tigers growing in confidence, Redshaw scored the decisive goal five minutes before the break.
Latching onto a Matt Fearnley pass, the Hyde captain took the ball into the box from the left and passed a dead-weight shot beyond Isherwood and into the far corner of the net.
Lewis Thompson came on at half-time for the nervy Musanhu to solidify the Hyde back line and restrict Warrington to shots from distance.
Matty Tweedley smashed an effort over the bar and a deflected shot from Lusiama brought an excellent save from Mersin, who needed to adjust his footwork and change direction to make the stop.
The Tigers went into game management mode, with Thompson smothering a Lusiama shot from eight yards out being the only time the visitors laid a glove on the home defence.
“I thought we dug deep,” said the new manager. “If I’ve got to be brutally honest, it wasn’t our best performance, and we were a couple of paces off the ball.
“I made a sub at half-time and changed the formation a little bit, but I thought the lads showed character today.
“When things weren’t going our way, they dug deep, they put their bodies on the line, I thought they were excellent, and it’s another clean sheet – that’s four from five now, and ultimately, if you keep a clean sheet at one end, you’ve got a good chance at the other.
“With our forward line, I’ll always back them to get one or two at least.”
Before Hyde travel to National League side Tamworth in the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round on Saturday, they host Bamber Bridge at Ewen Fields on Tuesday night, a game Coyne has been keen to impress the importance of on his squad.
“Cup runs are brilliant. They’re great for the football club, the fans, for us, they’re great for morale, but we still have to focus on the league.
“We’ve only had one league game since we’ve been in [a 4-2 away defeat to Warrington Rylands], so it’s a massive game for us on Tuesday.
“Then we’re onto what I’d call a big game against Tamworth.”
