Mark Beesley: Positives to take from Stalybridge display

Warrington Town manager Mark Beesley admits it was two points dropped rather than one gained against Stalybridge Celtic, but insists there are positives to take from their 1-1 draw.

A stunning long-range effort from Jay Harris gave the Yellows an early lead, with Celtic goalkeeper Greg Hall making a string of fine saves to keep his side in the contest.

Then shortly after the hour mark, a defensive mistake allowed Osebi Abadaki to round returning goalkeeper Tony Thompson and tap into an unmanned net to equalise.

BUY NOW: Half-season tickets

Both sides were unsuccessful in their attempts to push for a winner, leaving Beesley to reflect on what might’ve been at Cantilever Park. 

“Until they scored, we were really good. In the first half especially, we were excellent,” he said post-match. 

“If I’m being critical, we should’ve been two or three up at least. At 1-0, anything can happen. A mistake gives them a goal, and they’ve got something to hold onto. 

“We’ve got to be better. In the last 20 minutes when it’s 1-1, we’ve got to show more composure and more ability.” 

Discussing the manner of Stalybridge’s equaliser, he added: “It shocked us and rocked us, because it was such a poor goal to give away. 

SHOP NOW: Yellows merchandise

“These things have dragged us back all season, individual errors, and we need to eradicate them.

“It’s two points dropped because of the way it’s happened. However, the performance was good and we’ve got to take the positives from it.”

One pleasing sight was the return of last season’s top scorer Jordan Buckley, who came on as a second half substitute after a lengthy lay-off over recent months. 

Beesley has urgent caution as Town look to ease the prolific forward back to full fitness.

“We were short of players today, so we thought we’d get him on the pitch for 10-15 minutes,” he said.

“He occupies defenders, but you can see he’s clearly coming back [from injury]. He’s trained twice since May, so it’s a long time.

“To have him around is great. We’ve just got to be gentle with him.”