by John Hopkins
WARRINGTON Rylands travelled to promotion favourites Bury on Saturday but left the impressive Gigg Lane empty-handed after a 1-0 defeat.
The result means Rylands have now suffered back-to-back away defeats since their home victory over FC United of Manchester, the side they defeated last season on their way to the play-off final.
It took time for Warrington to settle into the contest, but they thought they had taken the lead after 22 minutes when Ben Hardcastle found the net. However, the effort was ruled out for offside in the build-up.
Just a minute later, the hosts were awarded a penalty after the ball was played back into the Rylands box from the goal line and struck a Warrington hand. Tom Carr stepped up from 12 yards, but Luke Pilling produced an excellent save, diving the right way to keep his side level.
Luke Pilling saves the penalty – Picture John Hopkins
Still without injured defender Matt Regan, Rylands had to withstand sustained pressure during a dominant first half for the hosts. Bury struck the woodwork twice, while George Waring came closest for the visitors when he headed a cross narrowly over the bar with just a minute remaining before the interval.
Rylands improved significantly after the break and began to give their hosts a much tougher contest.
With manager Neil Reynolds continuing to serve his touchline ban, Mike Faulkner and Lewis Hardcastle made changes to try to turn the game around. Substitute Jake Burton almost made an immediate impact when he raced through on goal, but his effort found the side netting.
Burton’s afternoon was unfortunately cut short, however, as he limped off after just 20 minutes on the pitch.
Rylands continued to push for an equaliser, with their best opportunity coming when an effort was kept out by the crossbar. A frantic goalmouth scramble followed, but the visitors were unable to force the ball over the line.
Despite the defeat, Rylands showed much more after the interval and will now look to make home advantage count with two fixtures against newly-promoted opposition.
Quorn visit the Quickline Logistics Arena on Tuesday night, before Redcar Athletic make the trip to Warrington next Saturday.
