MARK Beesley's first game in charge of Warrington Town saw them exit the FA Trophy via a penalty shoot-out.

Morpeth Town were 5-3 victors in the shoot-out, with Bohan Dixon's missed spot kick proving decisive.

The game had finished 1-1 after 90 minutes after Jamie McDonald had cancelled out Ben Sayer's opener.

Listen to the post-match thoughts of Town boss Mark Beesley here

Read sports reporter Matt Turner's verdict below

ANYONE could have been forgiven for thinking nothing has changed at Cantilever Park.

But with a new manager in charge, some familiar problems reared their head.

Warrington Town had the majority of the play in this FA Trophy tie but when it came to creating clear-cut openings, they were found wanting.

And in this case, they quite literally paid the penalty.

On the face of it, it is a draw after 90 minutes and one that, on balance, was probably the right result.

They may have had to do a lot of defending, but Morpeth will feel they could have won the game with one of the number of counter-attacking opportunities they created in the second half.

Yellows were way too open in that respect and were it not for a great save from Dan Atherton and an even better goalline clearance from James Baillie, they would have come a cropper in normal time.

By contrast, the hosts struggled to make much of a dent in the final third after the break save for Stefan Mols forcing a superb point-blank save from Morpeth keeper James Anderson, who was eventually his team’s hero in the shoot-out as his save from Bohan Dixon proved decisive.

Not even the introduction of top scorer Jordan Buckley, who was understandably rusty after several weeks of absence, from the bench could force a winner.

Their attacking play may well have been hindered by the enforced half-time withdrawal of Luke Duffy.

Before the break, Duffy bristled with the confidence of having scored in his past three outings as he tormented Morpeth right back Joe Walton.

He linked up brilliantly with Mols, who was once again at the heart of the best things Town did in an advanced midfield role.

They looked confident in those early stages and the concession of the opener against the run of play – gifted to Ben Sayer by Mitch Duggan’s dallying in possession despite Mark Roberts’ admirable attempts to prevent Liam Henderson’s initial effort – did not noticeably knock them off their stride.

They would have hoped Jamie McDonald’s equaliser – he marked his home debut by expertly heading home a sumptuous Sean Williams cross – would push them on, but that push never really came.

So while hopes of a deep run in the FA Trophy come to an end, focus can now switch squarely to building on their solid league foundations.