WARRINGTON Town’s last gasp equaliser was in vain as they were beaten on penalties by Ashton United to bow out of the FA Trophy.
Rio Hawkins bundled home from close range to make it 2-2 in the fourth minute of injury time and set-up the shootout, but Ashton struck five perfect penalties to prevail 5-3.
The Yellows had enjoyed a lot of territory and possession in the game without really doing much to hurt the Robins, who fielded two former Warrington players in the starting line-up and on the bench.
One of those former players, Al Byrne, went down looking for a free-kick on five minutes and that enabled Jack Goodwin to run away diagonally towards the edge of the box and he let fly with a shot that whistled just wide of Tommy Taylor’s left-hand post.
There wasn’t much more in terms of goal threatening action in the first quarter, as the Ashton full-backs John Lufudu and Spencer Knight frustrated the Yellows outwide.
And it was Lufudu who would create the opening goal at the other end on 31 minutes, his superb ball in from the right headed home by Kurt Willoughby.
That led to a few minutes of Ashton pressure, Darius Osei firing an overhead kick straight at Mateusz Hewelt.
But the Yellows were gifted an equaliser on 36 minutes when Reece Daly won the ball back and Goodwin shot tamely goalwards, only for Taylor to make a meal of an easy save and the ball squirmed in.
Ashton perhaps should have led by half time, Lufudu blazing over the bar from eight yards out after Osei laid the ball back.
After the break, Daly fired a shot in to the side-netting and Ben Elliott, still without a goal for Warrington Town, headed over from Josh Doherty’s cross.
Taylor got down well to save from Daly and then snuffed out Goodwin through on goal to atone for his earlier error, before Ashton were given a gift of their own.
Osei sprung the offside trap on half way, and was then wiped out in the box by Evan Gumbs. Willoughby stepped up to send the ‘keeper the wrong way from the spot and Ashton led.
They frustrated the Yellows in the closing stages, with only a solitary Hawkins shot bringing out a save from Taylor until the dying stages.
Hewelt came up for a Daly corner, that was headed against the back post, and Lufudu failed to clear, enabling the Yellows to get the ball back in and it was scrambled home by Hawkins for his first goal.
Penalties followed the final whistle, and both sides introduced substitutes to take spot kicks.
Ashton’s man, James Hardy, stepped up to convert his after both sides had scored their first, but crucially Lewis Earl hit the woodwork with his only kick of the ball in the entire match.
That meant that Ashton could see out the shoot-out, sealed by Scott Burgess’ fifth spot-kick to send them through.
The Yellows are back in action on Tuesday night in the league against Gainsborough Trinity.
Warrington Town: Hewelt, Burke, Doherty, Bjork, Gumbs, Butler, Edwards (Denton (Earl)), Vela (Bayode), Elliott (Hawkins), Daly, Goodwin. Unused sub: McIntosh.
Ashton United: Taylor, Lufudu (Hardy), Knight, Okome, Flowers, Spooner, Byrne (O’Neill), Burgess, Willoughby, Osei, Johnson (Scanlon). Unused subs: Owen, Denton.
