MATCH PREVIEW: Back on the Park
Workington will be back on home soil on Saturday after two successful trips to the Manchester area, with Newcastle Town the visitors to West Cumbria (3pm).
It will be the first home match for three weeks and the club are pleading with supporters to come out in force and back the team as they strive for a place in the play-offs.
Saturday’s opponents, Newcastle Town, are currently 12th in the NPL West Division and on course to finish in the top half of the table after a disappointing 16th last season.
Town’s record on the road has been solid and more productive than their home form. A recent impressive win at Widnes was their fourth on their travels with four draws and just two defeats contributing to a tally of sixteen points, compared to the eleven obtained at the Red Industries Stadium.
We emerged narrow winners in the first meeting in early December, our first ever win at their place, thanks to Lewis Reilly’s early goal.
‘Castle’s solitary success at Workington was almost twenty-five years ago when they inflicted a 2-1 defeat upon us in our very first North West Counties fixture.
Seven of the current top eight in NPL West have home advantage this week, the exception being the team immediately above us, Leek Town, who travel to Runcorn. Our position of 3rd won’t change this weekend, whatever the result at Borough Park.
Robin van der Laan is in charge of Town and he has been at the helm for almost five years now. His playing career started in his native Netherlands before he established himself in the English game representing the likes of Port Vale, Derby County, Wolves and Barnsley.
It has become a family affair at the Lyme Valley stadium with three of his sons in the Town squad.
Danny Grainger will hope to name a similar squad to that on duty at Mossley on Tuesday in what should be an intriguing contest.
