WARRINGTON Town’s hopes of a run in this season’s FA Trophy are over.

Two late goals saw them fall to a 3-1 second-round defeat to Blyth Spartans, who won at Cantilever Park for the second time this season having triumphed in the league back in August.

An own goal from visiting defender Harrison Clark had brought Yellows level as he turned Sean Williams’ free kick past his own keeper, cancelling out Mikael Ndjoli’s opener for Blyth.

Just as the match looked set for a penalty shootout, however, Cedric Main tapped in from close range to re-establish Spartans’ lead.

Main then won the penalty that sealed victory after he charged through on the counter-attack before being brought down by Town stopper Dan Atherton, with Nicky Deverdics converting from the spot.

> 'It probably couldn't have gone much worse,' says Town boss Mark Beesley

Read Matt Turner's verdict on proceedings below

IT is difficult to imagine this afternoon ending up much worse for Warrington Town.

Perhaps not in terms of the performance itself – they could perhaps consider themselves unfortunate to lose the game in the manner they did – but moreso when it comes to the cold hard facts.

At the end of the day, they are out of the FA Trophy – a competition they were keen to put a lot of stock in – and have another injury to add to a list that shows no sign of reducing with a gruelling schedule to come.

While it is true a long Trophy run would have ultimately proved a distraction from the main objective of National League North survival, but the opportunity to gain much-needed prize money when they need every penny they can get to fund their ground improvements has now passed them by.

Mark Beesley’s decision to freshen up his forward line was certainly well-intentioned as they started a run of six games in a little over a fortnight, with Connor Woods and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts often taking on a heavy workload and Josh Amis still working his way back to fitness.

He no doubt would have hoped to use them as little as possible but by way of necessity for differing reasons, all three were on before the hour mark.

And their arrival certainly coincided with Town taking the game by the scruff of the neck after Jordan Buckley, Aaron Bennett and Matty Grivosti had struggled to get into the game before the break.

And while everyone at Cantilever Park would have hoped last week’s dramatic winner against Rushall would have marked a turning point for Buckley’s injury-ravaged career at the club, the sight of him limping off after barely half an hour of his first start of the campaign was all too familiar.

Having been on the back foot for most of the first having before deservedly falling behind to a Blyth side who were neat and tidy without creating bucketloads of chances, Town stepped things up a notch.

While their goal had an element of fortune about it as Harrison Clark slashed a Sean Williams free kick into his own net seconds after coming on, it had been coming.

If there was going to be a side to grab the game late, it looked like being the home side until they found themselves opened up way too easily for Cedric Main to tap in the game-breaking goal.

Main then won the penalty that denied Town the chance at another injury-time salvage operation and their dreams of Trophy run and the finances that come with it came crashing down.

The time to dwell on this disappointment is short, however, and Beesley must pick up and patch up his side ready to go again at Darlington on Tuesday.

Warrington Town: Atherton, Walker (Woods), White, Hannigan, Williams, Buckley (Amis), Dixon, Duggan, Wisdom, Grivosti, Bennett (Buckley-Ricketts). Subs not used: Goudie, Gill