There was FA Vase action for our North West Counties sides while it was the opening day in the Northern Premier League on Saturday.
Below we’ve rounded up all the action on a busy day in non-league.
DAISY HILL BOW OUT OF FA VASE
Daisy Hill’s interest in the FA Vase is over for another season after they fell to a 5-2 defeat at home to Warrington Rylands 1906.
An early goal from Daisy’s Matty Davison got them off to a good start, but the visitors hit back to lead 2-1 at the break, and ran in three more goals in the second half, two of them from the lively Kane Drummond who was a constant threat to the home defence over the course of the 90 minutes.
Tom Jackson pulled one back for Daisy late on to reduce the margin of defeat.
“The two goals we scored were decent so that was pleasing, but kamikaze defending and some bad decision-making when we were tiring cost us,” said boss Brian Hart.
“Up until just before half-time we were doing okay, but losing both Sam Howell and Dexter Brierley to injury affected us. It meant we had to reshape and we struggled to come to terms with that.
“The first half performance was okay, although I think having two weeks off affected us, and our passing was a bit off.
“We will always struggle if we keep giving the ball away, as you end up chasing the game.
“In our previous two games, against Bury AFC in the friendly and against Colne in the FA Cup, we played with a bit of purpose and I think we lacked that on Saturday.
“It was disappointing that after getting off to a good start we conceded a soft goal almost straight away.
“In the second half it went away from us a little bit, and we have to accept we got caught a bit short.
“They are a decent team with some good players, and they deserved to win.”
PHOENIX CLUB LOSE FIRST COMPETITIVE GAME
Elsewhere in the FA Vase, Bury AFC took their latest major step with their first competitive game– but came up short in a 2-1 defeat at West Didsbury and Chorlton.
Greg Daniels will go down in the record books as the scorer of the phoenix club’s first competitive goal but his late penalty proved to be simply a consolation for Andy Welsh’s side as both sides ended the game with 10 men.
The hosts, of the North West Counties First Division South, broke the deadlock when captain Sam Heathcote headed home 10 minutes before the interval.
Bury’s task was made all the more difficult seven minutes into the second half when Mitch Bryant was sent off but things were levelled up just after the hour as Billy Matthews was dismissed for West.
The visitors pressed for a leveller but went further behind in the first minute of stoppage time.
Benjamin Elliot got the goal with Bury’s goalkeeper Ed Wilczynski having been at the other end of the field chasing a last-gasp equaliser that could have taken the game to penalties.
Daniels then converted from the spot shortly after, Liam MacDevitt the man fouled in the box, on a day where the result was only part of the story.
The North West Counties League season begins on October 3 for AFC, Daisy Hill and Atherton LR.
TALE OF TWO STRIKERS AS ATHERTON COLLS LOSE OPENER
BRAD Cooke rued Atherton Colls’ lack of clinical finishing as they slipped to an opening day defeat against Scarborough Athletic.
Nathan Cartman scored in each half to hand the visitors a 2-0 win as the delayed Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division season got under way.
Cooke was left counting the cost of some missed opportunities for his own No.9 Jordan Darr in a game he felt was decided by fine margins against a side who have promotion ambitions at the start of the new campaign.
“It you were to break down the game and give it a headline it was probably the tale of the two nines,” the Colls boss said.
“Jordan’s had some great chances today and not put them away and their No.9 was fantastic all game and scored two.
“It’s one of those. It’s what happens at this level. If you don’t take your chances at the right time you don’t win football games.
“There was nothing else in it.”
Despite his frustrations, Cooke was full of praise for his frontman’s endeavours.
“I don’t like singling people out but Jordan has been a thorn in their side all day today,” Cooke said.
“He’s created a lot of chances from his own movement and own work. It will come, I’ve absolutely no doubt about it because he works hard for himself and he works hard for the team. There’s loads of positives to take from it.”
EX-BOLTON YOUNGSTER ON TARGET FOR RADCLIFFE
In the same division, Radcliffe went down 4-2 at Buxton.
Captain Matty Crothers and former Bolton Wanderers youngster Luca Navarro saw their efforts cancelled out by goals from James Walshaw, Chris Dawson, Diego Den Girolamo and Connor O’Grady.
Despite a spirited second-half performance the Boro left empty-handed and will look to bounce back when they host Workington in the FA Cup on Tuesday night.
Navarro impressed for Lee Fowler’s side after coming on as a first-half substitute.
He scored a fine, side-footed volley into the top corner and saw a late set piece come back off the woodwork.
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