Recap

Dav Symington and Scott Allison have scored the best part of 200 goals between them in Workington colours over the years, and the deadly duo added to their respective totals as Reds completed their second league double of the season. 

It helped them register a third successive win against the Manchester side by the odd goal in three and, like the previous two, it was a closely fought encounter.  Workington thought they had found the comfort zone after scoring their second a quarter of an hour from the end, but the hosts reduced the arrears to keep the game on a knife edge until the final whistle. 

Credit to the ground staff for getting this game on after relentless heavy rain and praise to both teams for providing a decent spectacle over the ninety minutes. 

Reds opened the scoring after just five minutes and a well worked goal it was too.  Allison lost his marker on the right touchline with a clever turn, played the ball inside to Brad Hubbold whose diagonal ball to the left found Symington.  He skipped inside the last defender and flashed a typical shot past the helpless Niall Jordan. 

It prompted a good start from the Cumbrians but further chances were not converted.  Lewis Reilly’s shot on the turn narrowly missed the target, Symington had an effort pushed away for a corner by Jordan and Allison saw a sweetly struck half volley just clear the bar.      

Tom Bentham pulled his first attempt wide from a central position, Mike Burke just failed to convert a low cross from the right and, when the hosts did eventually get the ball in the net, the ‘goal’ was disallowed as the assistant referee had spotted an offside. 

Conor Tinnion had a low shot from distance comfortably gathered by Jordan early in the second half but that second goal proved elusive as Trafford enjoyed a decent twenty-minute spell. 

They almost equalised when a weak back pass from Charlie Birch presented a chance to Eliot Goldthorp but Jim Atkinson was quickly off his line to make a crucial save. 

The Cumbrians doubled their lead after seventy-six minutes and Symington, who netted the first, turned provider for the second.  He cut inside, as he often does, but instead of going for goal, he fed the ball through to Allison with a sublime pass.  It wrong-footed the Trafford defence and the inform striker netted for the fourth game in succession with another deft finish. 

But Trafford weren’t quite done and they too scored a fine goal in the eighty-second minute.  A quick exchange of passes left Goldthorp in space on the right and his excellent finish found its way into the far corner of Atkinson’s net. 

There were no further scares as Workington registered their seventh away win to consolidate third position in NPL West.    

Trafford: Jordan, Morgan, Sloan, Mulholland, Norris, Olawumi, Goldthorp, Worrall, Bentham (Hazeldine, 66), Burke (Barlow, 81), Belcher (Elhassan, 66).  Substitutes – Ford, Fleming (not used). 

Workington: Atkinson, McCaragher (Clarke, 72), Birch, Wordsworth, Smith, Hubbold (Rigg, 82) Symington, Carroll, Riley (Jerome, 62), Allison, Tinnion.  Substitutes – Leslie and Mugalula (not used). 

Referee: Majid Ali, Leeds 

Bookings: Sloan, Hazeldine (Trafford), Clarke (Workington) 

Attendance: 311