Rylands bombed out of FA Trophy by Avro

by Garry Clarke Pictures John Hopkins

WARRINGTON Rylands worst performance last season was a 5-0 humbling in the FA Trophy, their worst performance this season saw their Trophy nightmare continue with a 0-4 defeat at Avro.

Whereas Colne were bottom of the division last term, Avro entered the game standing 2nd in the NPL West and in the words of Rylands manager Michael Clegg “wanted it more”.

Rylands never got to grips with a scrappy stop-start game against hard-working opponents who drew two good saves from Luke Pilling in the opening ten minutes. The Rylands goalkeeper tipped a long-range shot from Max McCarthy over the bar and blocked a close-range Bebeto Gomes header.

Luke Pilling

Rylands enjoyed their best spell of the game around the mid-point of the first half with Scott Bakkor firing in a shot from a distance which forced a diving save from Avro goalkeeper Grant Shenton who also had to react quickly when Bakkor flicked a Clive Smith cross goalwards.

The home side broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time. Matty Crothers swung in a cross which was met by Joe Rathbone, his scuffed shot took a deflection off a defender and bobbled into the bottom corner.

Any hopes Rylands harboured of staging a second-half comeback were extinguished within six minutes of the restart. Kyle Hawley raced onto a ball played over the top of the defence, outmuscled Sam Wilson and fired into the bottom corner.

Rylands almost conceded a freak goal in the 63rd minute when James Neild’s back pass rebounded off a post after it had flew over Pilling’s head.

Any attempts Rylands made to get near their host’s goal were thwarted by a well-organised defence with a Ben Hardcastle shot from outside the area which was saved by Shenton being their closest effort. Although they did have a strong penalty claim turned down when an Avro defender seemed to bat away a cross with his arm.

Avro scored their 3rd goal in the 72nd minute when Matty Regan struggled to deal with an awkwardly bouncing ball allowing Liam Ellis to score from the edge of the area, and after a couple of near misses added a 4th in stoppage time when Ben Wharton lofted the ball over Pilling.

A miserable night for Rylands ended with captain Neild being red-carded for an off-the-ball incident moments before the final whistle.

Red carded – James Neild

AVRO – Shenton, Crothers, Wallwork, Morrow, Smalley, Dwyer, Gomes, Cotterell, Hawley, McCarthy, J Rathbone. Subs Rother, Haywood, Wharton, S Rathbone, Ellis.

RYLANDS – Pilling, Smith, Swaby-Neavin, Regan, Wilson, Hough (Kyffin), Baillie (Sidibeh), Neild, Piggott, Bakkor, Maieco (Hardcastle). Subs not used Butler, Hurst.
Attendance 200