MATCH REPORT: Workington Reds Ladies 0-2 Blackburn Community Sports Club

Credit to both sides who served up a decent game in hostile conditions, with two second half goals securing victory for the unbeaten league leaders.

Facing a storm force wind in the first half, Reds played a controlled brand of football and looked the equal of an impressive Blackburn side.  But they had nothing to show for their efforts and clearly missed top scorer, Hayley Bracken an absentee through injury.

They were solid at the back, efficient in midfield but just lacked a little in the final third.

It was then Blackburn’s turn to face the wind and rain and, like Reds did in the first half, they looked after the ball well and, eventually, started to dominate.

The opening goal after seventy five minutes was a touch fortunate but Hayley Wilford was alert enough to react to Stephanie Bedford’s shot which cannoned off the bar.  She got to the loose ball first and was able to force it home from close range before Laura Miller had chance to recover.

And it was Wilford, again, who grabbed the second a few minutes later when she cashed in on a defensive error to guide the ball into the net for a crucial second.

Reds were restricted to shots from distance but the handful of efforts on target were confidently dealt with by the Blackburn ‘keeper.

Paul Mackenzie wasn’t too downbeat afterwards and praised his side saying, “I thought we played well for the majority of the game but lost our way slightly in the final twenty minutes.”

The manager is hoping Bracken will be fit to return for next week’s encounter at Preston North End Women.