Warrington Town 1 New Mills 3

ANY hopes Warrington Town harboured of making a late charge for the play-offs were significantly dented in a defeat to second-bottom New Mills on Tuesday.

The Yellows remain eight points adrift of the play-offs places with eight games remaining, having caught up on their games in hand.

Nathan Burke put Shaun Reid's side ahead, but the visitors recorded only their second away win of the season thanks to goals from Brandon Windsor, Rhys Nevins and Daniel Forde.

The hosts looked like all but relegating New Mills inside two minutes when Stephen Tames crossed for Burke to tap in and give Town the lead.

New Mills keeper Liam Higginbotham had a shaky opening quarter to the game, and Warrington perhaps should have tested him more.

The only real shot on goal of note came from Robbie Booth, his left-footed drive almost wrong-footing the man between the posts.

New Mills had already fired a warning to Town before they got the equaliser, when Lee O’Brien missed with a free header from inside the box.

Their first goal came when Ben Wharton lost the ball in a promising position inside the New Mills half, and the visitors hit Town on the counter attack.

Ross Needham reached the byline and put a low cross in which Windsor managed to get on the end of and squeeze home past Karl Wills, who was seemingly troubled by a niggling injury throughout the match.

By now Warrington had lost their rhythm, and a change in system failed to create a change in fortune.

The half time whistle couldn’t have come sooner for the hosts, who nearly fell behind before the break when the offside flag denied Windsor his second.

It took eight second half minutes until New Mills hit the front, with Nevins allowed to surge through midfield and then finish well past Wills.

Warrington showed little in response, only the hard-working Tames continuing his recent run in form looking to create anything.

His ball across the box deserved better from Burke and Wharton waiting in the box.

The killer blow came on 71 minutes, when Needham whipped in a cross from the left which was headed home by an unmarked Forde from close range.

On came Chris Gahgan, Gerard Kinsella and Anthony Hickey for Town in the final quarter, but a goal never appeared.

The closest they got was when Burke couldn’t quite get a clean connection on a Gahgan cross, before a double save by Higginbotham at the death denied Burke and Hickey when a goal looked certain.

The defeat leaves Warrington’s play-off hopes in tatters ahead of Saturday’s trip to Spennymoor.

However, they do have Tuesday’s Doodson Sport Cup semi final at home to Ilkeston to look forward to.

Warrington: Wills, Field, Corrigan (Hickey), Mannix, McCarten, Hardwick, Beattie (Kinsella), Burke, Wharton (Gahgan), Tames, Booth. Subs not used: Turner, Collins.