by Garry Clarke
THE Michael Clegg era as manager at Warrington Rylands kicked off with a single-goal injury-time defeat at Whitby Town.
The only goal on the North Yorkshire coast came two minutes into stoppage time of a game that encapsulated Rylands season, dominating for large periods, creating numerous chances without being able to find the killer punch but falling to a sucker punch and conceding against the run of play.
After an initial feeling-out period in which play switched from end to end, Whitby stated to get the upper hand with Bradley Fewster, Harry Green and Lewis Hawkins all having shots miss the target, Fewseter even had the ball in the back of Rylands net in the 14th minute but the referee’s whistle had long sounded for the player being flagged off side.
Rylands started to come more into the game with Sean Cooke drifting a free kick just wide of the post midway through a scrappy first half in which both teams struggled to adapt to the heavy pitch. Rylands best chance of the half came in the 38th minute from a Whitby corner!
Luke Pilling caught the corner and released a long ball downfield which the Whitby defenders struggled to deal with, the ball fell to Mo Touray, making his Rylands debut following his loan signing from Marine, fired in a shot from 25 yards which Whitby keeper Shane Bland got behind.
Rylands started the second half on the attack with Kelly N’Mai drawing two good saves from Bland in the opening minutes of the half, while Whitby defender Harrison Beeden cleared a Kallum Mantack shot off the line.
Bland, named by the match sponsors as the man of the match, produced another top-class save to deny N’Mai on the hour mark when he palmed away a shot after N’Mai had ghosted past two defenders.
Just as the referee was indicating 4 minutes would be added on at the end of the game Johnny Hunt whipped a free kick into the Whitby area, only half cleared it fell to Touray whose overhead kick from the penalty spot just cleared the bar.
With the game destined to end goalless, Whitby who had posed little attacking threat in the second half struck the decisive blow. Priestley Griffiths, who earlier in the half had drilled a free kick inches wide of Rylands goal, floated a free kick into their area. Unmarked beyond the far post Connor Simpson directed the ball back into the six yard box where Beeden headed home from close range.
Picture John Hopkins
