MICHAEL Clegg’s first game in charge of Warrington Rylands ended in late heartbreak.

The new manager, whose appointment was confirmed earlier in the week, watched his side beaten 1-0 at Whitby Town on Saturday afternoon as their faltering play-off bid took a further hit.

Harrison Beeden scored a 90th-minute winner for the hosts to inflict a third consecutive defeat on Blues, who remain seven points adrift of the play-off spots.

Despite the late sucker punch, Clegg was upbeat about what he saw from his side.

"Football’s a cruel game and we’ve seen it there today," he said.

"There was only one team looking like going on to grab it – the save from Shane (Bland, Whitby goalkeeper) is top, top class and there’s one cleared off the line as well.

"It’s been a good week – we’ve tried to give the lads a lot of info, we’ve changed shape and put a couple of lads in who haven’t been playing and I thought they did well.

"People will probably go away happy today knowing that we've tried to play. We’ve created chances and looked dangerous but we couldn’t get past the keeper.

"Ultimately, we’ve then defended poorly in the 92nd minute from a set piece on the halfway line – I just didn’t see it coming.

"We regroup and refocus looking ahead to next Saturday."

After an initial feeling out period in which play switched from end to end, Whitby stated to get the upper hand with Bradley Fewster, Harry Green and Lewis Hawkins all having shots miss the target.

Fewster even had the ball in the back of Rylands’ net in the 14th minute but the referee’s whistle had long sounded for the player being flagged offside.

Rylands started to come more into the game, with Sean Cooke drifting a free kick just wide of the post midway through a scrappy first half in which both teams struggled to adapt to the heavy pitch.

Rylands best chance of the half came in the 38th minute from a Whitby corner.

Luke Pilling caught the corner and released a long ball downfield which the Whitby defenders struggled to deal with.

The ball fell to Mo Touray – making his Rylands debut following his loan signing from Marine – who fired in a shot from 25 yards which Whitby keeper Shane Bland got behind.

Rylands started the second half on the attack with Kelly N’Mai drawing two good saves from Bland in the opening minutes of the half while Whitby defender Beeden cleared a Kallum Mantack shot off the line.

Bland, named by the match sponsors as the man of the match, produced another top-class save to deny N’Mai on the hour mark when he palmed away a shot after the on-loan Salford man had ghosted past two defenders.

Just as the referee was indicating four minutes would be added on at the end of the game< Johnny Hunt whipped a free kick into the Whitby area which was only half cleared.

It fell to Touray, whose overhead kick from the penalty spot just cleared the bar.

With the game destined to end goalless, Whitby who had posed little attacking threat in the second half struck the decisive blow.

Priestley Griffiths, who earlier in the half had drilled a free kick inches wide of Rylands goal, floated a free kick into their area and Connor Simpson, who was unmarked at the far post, directed the ball back into the six yard box where Beeden headed home from close range.

Rylands: Pilling, Mantack, Hunt, Furman, Egerton, Hockenhull, N'Mai, Neild, Touray, Cooke (Hayde), Vassallo (Robinson). Subs not used: Mustoe, Smith, Wright