Warrington Town 0 Marske United 1, match report

Andrew May headed home a sixth-minute opener for the visitors, who arrived having lost their past six league matches, and it proved enough for all three points despite some intense Town pressure after the break.

They laid siege to the Marske goal in the second half, with Stefan Mols hitting the woodwork twice in the space of 10 seconds, but they could not break through.

Stefan Mols heads against the woodwork (Image: Sean Walsh)

It means they have now lost back-to-back league matches and it was clear where Beesley lay the blame.

“I thought the first 45 minutes was the poorest we’ve been – certainly this season and up there in the six years I’ve been here,” he said.

“We looked really flat and lethargic – we looked like we’d been to Whitby in midweek and players out there who shouldn’t really have been playing, which was the case.

“We’re not making excuses but we had a patched-up side, people played when they shouldn’t have as they weren’t well.

“It is a reason but it’s not an excuse. We’ve got to be better than what we were.

“I think we had 11 shots in the second half – we’ve hit the woodwork, the keeper’s made an unbelievable save.

“We’ve all been in those situations where you just know it’s not your day. We were banging the door down in the second half and we ran ourselves into the ground, but we’d given them a leg-up and something to hold onto.

Town were frustrated by a resolute Marske defence (Image: Sean Walsh)

“If we go into half-time at 0-0 and we play like that in the second half, we probably win the game but fair play to them. They stuck 11 men behind the ball and they defended well.

“I’m more annoyed with the first half – our Achilles heel in the first 10-12 games was giving silly goals away and we’ve slipped back into that now. We need to stamp it out.”

Read Matt Turner's verdict below

THIS one will really sting for Warrington Town.

The competitiveness of this division means there is no such thing as an easy game, but this is not a result many saw coming.

A home game against a side who have lost their last six league matches was an extremely presentable opportunity for Town to put their midweek disappointment at Whitby behind them quickly.

However, they were left strewn across the Cantilever Park turf aghast as the visitors celebrated a backs-to-the-wall three points.

Judging by sheer weight of possession and territory in the second half, it can be said that Town were unfortunate to gain nothing from the game.

Looking at it closely, however, they have to ask themselves if they did enough to test Marske keeper Michael Roxburgh.

Granted, the woodwork came to his aid twice in a matter of seconds – Stefan Mols glanced a header off the bar before hitting the post with another – but the save he made from the same player’s free kick late on was perhaps his only one in 90 minutes.

Breaking down belligerent opposition is going to have to be something Town must become adept at if they can remain in promotion contention as the season goes on.

On another day, one of their second-half chances goes in but there have been a few too many of “those days” now.

And of course, the conversation may have been altogether different had they not given their visitors an early lift.

Conceding a goal as early as they did and in the manner in which they did from a second-phase set piece will irk Mark Beesley, but he will be more annoyed with the lethargic nature of his side’s showing before half time.

Too often, there were aimless balls forward as opposed to composed, incisive play and it was easy for the visitors to deal with.

They deserve credit for their organisation, but Town are starting to have problems again.

It is now back-to-back defeats and in a division as tight as this one, such a run can have you hurtling down the table fast.

After a positive month, Town are starting to lapse back into old habits and it is crucial they nip it in the bud quickly.