WARRINGTON Town once again failed to cement a play-off place as they slipped to a second consecutive home defeat.

Stuart Beavon's second-half goal allowed Mickleover to leave with the points as he charged down goalkeeper Dan Atherton's clearance before tapping into an empty net.

On an afternoon where none of the Northern Premier League Premier Division's top five won, Town remain fifth but are now just one point clear of Whitby Town below them.

Listen to Yellows boss Mark Beesley's post-match thoughts below

Read sports reporter Matt Turner's full match verdict below

IN many ways, this game summed up Warrington Town’s season to a tee.

Once again, their bid to set off on a consistent run of form hits the buffers after what was a flat and largely blunt display.

It is a struggle to remember them testing Mickleover goalkeeper Jonathan Hedge too much and while the visitors did not overly stretch Dan Atherton at the other end, it was them who had the game’s key moment.

Atherton’s second-half clearance could conceivably have gone anywhere after it had cannoned off visiting striker Stuart Beavon, but it rolled perfectly into the path of the veteran frontman to tap home the game’s only goal.

In truth, Mickleover probably deserved their win – they frustrated Town and looked brighter in possession without having a real cutting edge about them.

By contrast, Yellows struggled to work their way through a packed midfield and it often led to them surrendering possession too easily.

Too many players had off days and that happens, you tend to fall on the wrong side of the result.

Perhaps the only saving grace for Town is that none of the sides around them won but on the other side of the coin, that will probably only serve to increase the frustration.

They are surrendering too many cheap points and had they turned around even a couple of the games they had drawn or lost, their play-off place would be so much more secure.

Mercifully, their fate is still very much in their own hands but they are making life much harder for themselves than it needs to be.