In 1887, he was a member of the Villa side which defeated Rangers 3–1 in the FA Cup semi-final, to set up a final against local rivals West Bromwich Albion.
In the first twenty minutes of the final, the Villa defence was put under heavy pressure, but "Warner played a brave game in goal, repeatedly foiling Albion's attempts to charge him, ball in hand, over his own goal-line.
Warner was able to recover to appear in all five FA Cup matches, when Villa reached the final where they again met local rivals West Bromwich Albion.
In the weeks preceding the Final, Warner skipped training sessions with the rest of the Villa side,[9] and was also seen in earnest conversation with a mysterious man in a sharp suit and hat.
[11] However, he failed to show up for an away match against Stoke City on 7 January 1893, resulting in centre-half Willie Stewart having to play as a makeshift goalkeeper; the team lost 7–1.
[12] After his suspension was up, Warner made just three more appearances for Newton Heath (two in the league and one in the Manchester Senior Cup), and was sold to Walsall Town Swifts at the end of the season.