report & pictures John Hopkins
WARRINGTON Rylands lost their third successive game of the new season as they went down 0-1 at home to Whitby Town and now sit firmly at the bottom of the table.
Captain James Neild returned to the squad but defender Matt Regan sat on the bench to protect a bad cut to his head from the last match. Liam Morris, whose red card at Hebburn has been rescinded, remained in midfield.
Rylands had plenty of possession through both halves but the final touch was lacking when close to goal. Many runs were made through the defence by the likes of Burton, Hough and Massanka, but their efforts were missed and the ball was recycled, sometimes back to Pilling in The Blues goal.
Massanka found a way past the back four in the second half but was pushed in the back as he reached the penalty area and went down; the referee was too far behind to spot the foul.
Ntumba Massanka
Shortly after, a long ball caught Warrington’s defence too far up field and Joseph Gibson lobbed the ball over a lonely Luke Pilling for the only goal of the match.
This third defeat marks a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season for Warrington Rylands. Manager Mark Duffy has some serious head-scratching to perform before Tuesday’s away trip to Lancaster City who are sitting a comfortable 8th in the table.
