WARRINGTON will make a case they were due this one.

And their players’ reaction upon hearing the referee’s final whistle left no doubt as to what it meant to end a sequence of four successive defeats against Martin Poste’s men.

Theirs was an impressive victory.

It’s not easy to knock this Northwich side off course but they managed to, and still squeezed in a trademark try from a stylishly-executed backs move early in the second-half.

For Blacks, it’s not quite back to the drawing board.

However theirs was a performance with a paucity of their usual sharpness.

A ball made slippery by the sodden conditions at Moss Farm didn’t help, but the truth is Warrington smothered them with an impressive intensity to their tackling – particularly during a spell of pressure late in the opening period.

By then the visitors had established a lead when wing Nathan Beesley won a foot-race to reach his own kick forward, dotting down in the corner.

Full-back John Gilooly, kicking left-footed from close to the right touchline, added the extras.

Nick Baldwin dragged a penalty kick wide of an upright on the half-hour before Northwich enjoyed their best period of the game before the break.

Time and again they were held up before from a quickly-taken penalty Matthew Poste popped the ball into Joel Barber’s hands and he charged to the line.

Baldwin’s successful conversion, which restored parity, was the last kick of the half.

The hosts were forced to reshuffle after Conor Lapniewski and Adam Bennett both succumbed to injury, while Richard Dale’s afternoon ended early too when he hurt a shoulder.

Indeed, he lay prone on the turf when Gilooly sped down the right before offloading for Beesley to claim Warrington’s second try.

Gilooly’s kick made it 14-7.

The try-scorer was then shown a yellow card for flooring Baldwin, who had both feet off the ground to catch an up-and-under.

Blacks’ stand-off was back on his feet to land a penalty that reduced their arrears five minutes later.

Frustration started to seep into Northwich play as they toiled to find a way back into the game, and John Harrison was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle.

Gilooly punished the hosts by slotting the resulting penalty.

Both sides were reduced in number with three minutes left when Chris Heywood and Warrington’s Chris White were carded, followed quickly by Baldwin for dissent.

Gilooly put his side out of Blacks’ reach when he slotted another three-pointer straight afterwards.

Northwich | Maddocks, Lapniewski, Bennett, Heywood, Harrison, Clark, Balshaw, Naylor, Baldwin, Skinkis, Underhill, Richard Dale, Wilkinson, Barber Replacements Ridgway, Ensor, Gough Try Barber Con Baldwin Pen Baldwin

Warrington | White, Thompson, O’Rourke, Riley, Downes, Barker, Evans, Callander, Hannon, Wood, McEniff, Pilkington, Hughes, Beesley, Gilooly Replacements Kellett, Stewart, Emmitt Tries Beesley (2) Cons Gilooly (2) Pens Gilooly (2)