WARRINGTON Town slipped to their first away defeat of the National League North campaign on Saturday afternoon.
Goals in either half proved sufficient to send Mark Beesley’s side to a reverse at Boston United, with Kelsey Mooney’s opener added to by Keziah Martin’s long-range stunner after the break.
It means Yellows’ record now stands at three victories and two defeats in their opening five matches.
Jordan Buckley and Andy White did at least make their comebacks from injury off the bench for Town, who are back in action on Bank Holiday Monday when they welcome Curzon Ashton to Cantilever Park.
> 'One or two things caught up with us,' says Town boss Mark Beesley
Read Matt Turner's verdict on the game below
THERE will be days like this. Plenty more of them.
The reality of adjusting to a new level is that on some days, the opposition will simply be too good.
That was the case for Warrington Town as they travelled to Lincolnshire for what turned out to be another reminder of just how difficult the step up to the National League North will be.
Mark Beesley’s men have defied all expectations with the start they have made, particularly given the extent of the injury crisis that has engulfed them in the season’s opening weeks.
It was always going to catch up with them at some point and on this day, it did.
Boston were very much worthy winners – their crisp passing and the fluidity of their forward line had Town at sixes and sevens in the opening quarter and while the visitors did get themselves a foothold, they will feel they could have won by a bigger margin.
That said, Town can reflect on a few chances that went begging, particularly when Isaac Buckley-Ricketts curled just wide having been sent through on goal with the game scoreless.
It was at that point that they had wrestled back some control of the game having been pulled apart at the start, but Kelsey Mooney’s opener took all of their air out of their balloon.
Then mere minutes after Beesley had made a pair of positive substitutions to force the issue after a positive start to the second half, Keziah Martin’s stunner ended the game as a contest.
It was the kind of goal that could not be legislated for – having already sent two similar efforts over the stand from range, the Boston man’s third attempt from all of 30 yards arrowed into Tony Thompson’s top corner.
It is not to say there weren’t bright spots for Town – on his first start since joining on loan from South Shields, Dylan Mottley-Henry was lively in the final third while the returns from injury of Andy White and Jordan Buckley from injury off the bench can only help.
Both have work to do to get back up to speed, but the restoration of White at left-back in particular gives them the kind of natural width they have been lacking and they looked much more balanced as a result.
Holes can and no doubt will be picked in Town’s performance, but sometimes you simply have to take your hat off to the opposition.
Warrington Town: Thompson, Hannigan, Gumbs (Grivosti), Woods (Buckley), Williams, Pettifer, Bennett (White), Mottley-Henry, Buckley-Ricketts, Duggan, Clarke. Subs not used: Atherton, Walker
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