Recap

A superbly crafted goal on the half hour mark was enough to secure a narrow Reds’ win in the A66 derby, as pre-season action supplemented the other stuff on the telly!

Brad Hubbold’s sublime pass pierced the Blues lines, setting Robbie Hebson free on the right.  The latter’s inch-perfect cross found Scott Allison, who had timed his run to perfection, and he finished with aplomb for the only goal of a positive work-out.

It illustrated once more the importance of converting a chance when the opportunity presents itself after Penrith failed to capitalise on a bright start.

They should have been comfortably ahead before Reds got a grip on the game but Messrs Brown lacked the same composure as former Blues player, Allison.

As early as the tenth minute, Reds were fortunate not to concede. Max Brown broke through the inside left channel only for his placed shot to rebound off the far post before the ball was scrambled clear.

The same player was denied again, soon after, when his shot was deflected for a corner by Jim Atkinson’s reflex save.

And Luke Brown looked a certain scorer until debutant Kieran Charlton averted the danger with a brilliantly timed tackle.

But Penrith hardly threatened after that and Atkinson enjoyed a quieter last seventy-five minutes than the opening quarter of an hour.

Both teams could feel well satisfied with their neat, tidy approach play but neither goalkeeper was seriously tested.  In fact, Stuart Forrester’s most difficult save came late in the game when he dealt with a Steven Rigg shot.

Rigg had registered as a Workington player before the game, joining a lengthy list of personnel on display who have represented both clubs in recent years.

Each side fielded seventeen players and the contest became diluted in the second half as any rhythm and flow was lost due to the frequent substitutions.

Reds caretaker boss, Steven Rudd, felt there was plenty for his side to work on but thought it was a worthwhile exercise and declared himself pleased with new boys Iyrwah Gooden, Rigg and Charlton.

“It was a good run-out with the game reasonably competitive which is what you want from pre-season matches.  We managed to keep a clean sheet, suffered no obvious injuries and it was great to get the lads out playing again,” he said. 

Rudd will supervise two training sessions this week before travelling to the north east for a tough looking encounter versus Berwick Rangers on Saturday.       

Penrith: Forrester, Coombes, Johnson, Davidson, May, Story, Brown L, Main, Brown M, Williamson, Philipson.  Substitutes – Law, Henderson, Shields, Aynsley, Whinspere, Fleming (all used).

Workington: Atkinson, Hebson (Clarke), Charlton (Symington), Wordsworth (Howarth), Smith, Casson, Gooden (Lightfoot C), Carroll, Jerome, Allison (Bowman), Hubbold (Rigg).  Substitute Paden-Gale (not used).

Referee: Michael Studholme

Attendance: 110