WARRINGTON Town will have been hoping they left remnants of their previous defeat where they belong – in the past.

In losing again today, however, the issues that afternoon at Mickleover flared up bubbled to the surface once more.

Just how do they respond when games are going against them? On this evidence, not well.

Tuesday’s draw with Nantwich in which they came from behind twice felt like a step forward in that respect, but Lancaster have sent them back to square one.

They remain top of the table, but this is clearly a trend that needs reversing.

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“We work on things in training, but maybe I make things too nice for lads,” manager Paul Carden said.

“At times, it’s like some of us just do what we want. That was evident in the first half.

“You end up going into areas and doing things that are going away from what our plan was.

“They are a team with a set plan no matter who they are playing against. It’s relentless but it’s what they do and it’s what’s won them the game.

“Not only have we not handled that, we didn’t have the courage to impose our own game on them.

“We’ve got an air of acceptance about us with each other and opponents that’s soft. I’ve told the lads they need to have a think and so do I.”

With Yellows having switched back to a more familiar 4-2-3-1 formation having changed shape on Tuesday, Josh Amis was left to plough a lone furrow up front.

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Against Lancaster’s three-man defence, getting support close to him was crucial.

Too often, though, that support never came from Jack Mackreth and Jack Dunn on either wing and Bohan Dixon in the advanced midfield role.

The space was available down the sides but Town rarely made use of it and for all their possession, they lacked the craft to break down an organised home side.

“We know they play three at the back, which means we’d have an overload down the sides but I don’t think we used it once,” Carden said.

“There was no movement off the line. We told the two Jacks (Mackreth and Dunn) to play close to Josh (Amis) but I don’t think they could have been any further away.

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“We know it’s a big pitch but they filled the middle with bodies, so we knew there would be space out wide but we didn’t use the ball well.

“We passed the ball well at times but where did we go with it? It’s alright passing the ball but you have to play with a purpose and today we lacked that.

“We put one telling cross in and we scored.

“I’m wasting my time with some because they don’t take instructions on board”

It is true that substitute Jordan Buckley’s goal came from a rare moment of exploiting the wings, but by then the uphill battle was already steep.

Warrington Guardian:

Warrington Guardian:

Warrington Guardian:

Lancaster had more thrust and punch when moving the ball, with the evergeeen David Norris working off platforms set by the more physical Matt Blinkhorn and Tom Kilifin.

Skipper Simon Wills acted as an effective shield in front of the defence, meaning Dixon had little or no influence on proceedings.

After hitting the crossbar early through a Kilifin header, though, the home side too struggled for clear openings until Jacob Holland-Wilkinson came off the bench.

The on-loan Preston North End youngster had a hand in both goals which came in a shocking five-minute period for Town.

It was his ball in that Kilifin laid off for Norris to strike home before he finished expertly himself to double the lead.

While the quality of both finishes was undoubted, the way in which Town lost possession cheaply in their own half for the first goal and allowed a long throw-in to bounce inside their box for the second is of grave concern.

Time for wound-licking is brief, though, as Buxton visit Cantilever Park on Tuesday night.

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Once again, a big shift in attitude and performance is needed against their fellow high-flyers.

“If you think they put it on us today, wait until Tuesday,” came the ominous warning from Carden.

“Not only will Buxton put it on us, but they will put it on us with more quality.

“It’s going to be a test and a big indicator for us. We’ve started the season well but we’ve had two poor defeats.

“That’s a worrying sign because when we’ve gone a goal down, we don’t look like we’re going to come back. That’s never been the case with us.

“I felt we deserved at least a point but today, we got what we deserved.”

Warrington Guardian:

Warrington Guardian:

All pictures by Jonathan Moore