Report: Warrington Town 0-2 Marine

Two first half injury-time goals sent Warrington Town crashing to a 2-0 home defeat on New Year’s Day against Marine.

The result drags the Yellows closer to the relegation zone against a team that had mustered just one win, and two goals, away from home all season.

Left-back Joe Mattock popped up in an unlikely place by the penalty spot to head home from Kallan Murphy’s head-back to give the visitors the lead with the only chance of the first half.

And the Yellows had barely digested that disappointment when they conceded a second goal four minutes into added time, Leigh Whelan’s free-kick from the right missing everyone in the box and finding the back of the net at the far post.

It was a dour game to start 2025, and even the returning Connor Woods and Josh Amis from the start couldn’t ignite any fire in a struggling Yellows side.

Amis had a half look at goal in the opening minutes, warming the hands of Matthew Corran from a tight angle, but it was otherwise a cagey, tepid affair that’s only life came in the form of some strong challenges that the referee was happy to let go for the main.

The opening goal came in the first of the added two minutes at the end of the half, Adam Thomas finding space down the left and his deep cross was headed back by Murphy, only recalled from his loan spell at Prescot 24 hours before, for Mattock to head past Dan Atherton.

Atherton and Peter Clarke then left a loose ball for each other just inside the box, and the subsequent scramble resulted in a free-kick that Whelan curled in to leave the ground shellshocked.

The second half was played with virtually the same pattern as the first, only really broken up by yellow cards and scrappy fouls, with Marine more than content with the two-goal advantage they had, and it was one that was never close to being troubled.

The Yellows are back in action at home to King’s Lynn Town on Saturday, before a daunting run of six away games from seven in the National League North.

Warrington Town: Atherton, Gumbs, Douglas, Clarke, Hont (Morris), Harris, McCourt (Rodwell-Grant), McDonald (Dixon), Woods, Amis, Cross-Adair (O’Neill). Unused sub: Bennett.

Marine: Corran, Brown, Butler, Wardle, Mattock, Whelan, Gregson, Agius (Doyle), Thomas (Sinclair-Smith), Murphy (Robinson), Lusiama. Unused subs: Waters, Atchieson.

Post-match reaction

Manager Paul Carden reacts to our New Year's Day defeat.