Recap
Not such a good night if your passion is Bolton Wanderers – the first team suffered a pre-season home defeat by Stoke City and the back-up squad lost at Borough Park.
And it was a thoroughly deserved win for evolving Workington in their penultimate pre-season outing.
Mark Fell demands high standards and those levels were certainly reached in every area of the pitch. He has repeatedly said that performances, more than results, is the criteria to look for in the summer friendlies but he got both on this occasion in what was probably the best all round display of his short tenure.
And what ever happens in the final run out at Clitheroe on Saturday, Workington are just about ready for the rigours and demands of a Northern Premier League season.
Ben Williams and Ben Fell were handed their home debut and the two Gateshead defenders began long-term loans in style. Williams slotted into the right back berth with Fell, no relation to the manager, linking up with the ever-dependable duo of Swinglehurst and Wilkinson in a rigid back three.
And from that solid base, Reds pieced together a match winning performance.
The team is defending as a unit and attacking as a unit and this was perfectly illustrated with the only goal of the game ten minutes into the second half. Reds were defending at one end before countering quickly up the pitch to score the only goal of a keenly fought encounter.
Steven Rigg received the ball from the right, held off the challenge, got the ball down and calmly slotted past Ellis Litherland who might have felt he could have done better from his perspective.
And Reds thought they had doubled their lead just after the hour mark following a fine solo effort from Kai Nugent. He broke through but met Jamie Allen running in the opposite direction. Allen’s ‘interference’ was minimal but enough for the officials to disallow Nugent’s well taken goal.
Tom Stephenson then had a rush of blood when his opportunity came. He cleverly burst through the inside right channel but committed the cardinal sin of slicing wide at the near post instead of aiming across the ‘keeper.
The game certainly had a good ebb and flow to it and Wanderers had their moments.
Alex Mitchell did have to save well to deny Harrison Fleury in a ‘one-on-one’ situation but the red wall in front of him did their bit too.
Dubem Eze’s free kick was blocked and Eze and Fleury had other shots charged down as Workington worked hard for a third clean sheet in four outings.
A very pleasing performance on a pleasant summer evening.
Workington: Mitchell, Williams, Galloway, Fell (Little), Swinglehurst (Trialist), Wilkinson, Symington, Hubbold, Rigg (Stephenson), Allen (Trialist), Nugent. Substitute – Jamieson (not used).
Bolton Wanderers B: Dallimore (Litherland), Westwood, Weston, Hayes-Green (Toole), Hogan, Inwood, Irwin, Tutte (Leigh), Trialist (Lawrence), Fleury (Bryan), Eze (Abimbola).
Referee: Scott Henry, Carlisle
Bookings: Little (Workington), Weston (Bolton Wanderers)
Attendance: 403
