Pictures John Hopkins
WARRINGTON Town made a disappointing start to the new season as they fell to a 2-0 home defeat to Farsley Celtic.
The Yellows were second best for large parts of the game and conceded two goals in the first half against the Yorkshiremen, who finished in the play-off places last season.
Nathan Turner curled a shot home from the edge of the box and Will Hayhurst, on his return to Cantilever Park having played for the Yellows last season, scored a sweetly struck second to earn them the three points.
It was a much changed Warrington outfit from last season with only four players in the starting line-up that played in these parts in the previous campaign.
The first yellow card came inside four minutes for Farsley striker James Spencer for kicking the ball away, and he would see red later in the game for earning another yellow the same offence.
Farsley looked threatening in the final third and their five man midfield was overrunning the Yellows, and it took 13 minutes for them to break the deadlock.
The Yellows lost possession and Farsley had numbers going forward, Turner utilising the runs to dummy and create space for himself to find the bottom corner with a left foot shot.
They started to dominate proceedings and twice went close through Nathan Cartman and Chris Atkinson.
Warrington were having to rely on scraps as they struggled to get a foot on the ball in midfield, though they could have equalised on 24 minutes when captain Tony Gray intercepted a back pass ahead of the goalkeeper and pulled back for the hard-working Josh Amis, who didn’t shoot with much conviction and a defender got back to clear off the line.
The killer blow was the second goal and it came from a long free-kick that was headed out to the edge of the box, falling nicely for Hayhurst who struck it first time and beat Tony McMillan off the inside of the past.
It had been a rude awakening to the new season for the Yellows and they now had to chase the game, which left gaps at the back.
The second half started in that pattern, though the Yellows did at least draw a first save from visiting ‘keeper Ed Hall from Jack Dunn’s first time shot.
The key moment of the second half came on the hour mark when a superb corner by Dylan Vassallo was headed against the crossbar by Adam Hughes via an excellent defensive header by Turner.
It felt like that was the moment that could have dragged the Yellows back in to the contest and the reality was that the game was never going to go their way after that.
Farsley were reduced to 10 men when Spencer had his second moment of madness, and Yellows striker Richard Brodie was booked for diving after a late penalty shout.
Warrington Town: McMillan, Duggan, Carden (Vassallo), Beeley, Roberts, Hughes, Evans, Garrity, Gray (Brodie), Amis, Dunn (Caton). Unused subs: Hynes, George.
Farsley Celtic: Hall, L Turner, Hayhurst (Baldwin), Higgins, Ellis, Clayton, C Atkinson, N Turner, Spencer, Cartman (Watson), Walker (B Atkinson). Unused subs: Trennery, Bett.
