PAUL Carden says Grantham Town’s physical edge was the telling factor in a 3-0 play-off semi-final defeat for his Warrington Town side tonight.

Yellows’ hopes of promotion from the Evo-Stik Premier Division were extinguished at Cantilever Park as second-half goals from Stefan Galinski, Danny Meadows and Jordan Hempenstall proved enough for the visitors.

Report: Yellows 0 Grantham 3

Grantham used their size advantage to overpower a patched-up Yellows side and Carden admits the physicality was too much for his side to handle.

“There’s obviously massive disappointment in the dressing room,” he said.

“We can’t knock the effort or the endeavour.

“I thought we were the better side with the ball throughout the game, but they’ve scored goals through the way they play, which is relentless and it doesn’t give you a minute.

“I didn’t think we looked too threatening up front. Their two big lads at the back defended strong and they got their three goals.

“We didn’t do enough over the 90 minutes.

“We were good in the first half. We were strong and used the ball well but we didn’t have enough threat.

“We weren’t effective, ruthless or strong enough in big moments.

“I didn’t think we had the belief in the final third that we should do. Things were hopeful rather than assured.

“Their two forwards were a handful and caused us problems.

“I can’t fault anyone’s effort or endeavour, but today they were physically a bit too strong for us.”

Yellows were already missing Jay McCarten, Dylan Vassallo, Tony Gray and Liam Hynes through injury, plus Rory McKeown and Mekhi Leacock-McLeod were suspended, but that was not the end of Town’s injury nightmare.

Shaun Beeley pulled out of the squad earlier today due to family reasons before Yellows lost Jay McEveley and Jack Higgins to injury during the game.

Carden says the lack of numbers had to catch up with his side at some point.

“Beels dropped out today with a family issue, and Adam (Carden) has been touch and go.

“We had a few good performances, but the injuries were going to hurt us at some point.

“You can argue that, in the last five or six weeks we’ve stumbled our way from being in such a strong position.

“I’m not making excuses. They are valid reasons.

“We’ve got six or seven players on the sidelines who would have started the game tonight, but it’s part and parcel of football.

“It was about lads seizing opportunities and not enough of them have done that in the past six weeks.”